Search

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an important diagnostic tool for paediatric patients. The association between dental restorations and MRI artefacts/distortions, however, is unclear., Aim: To investigate the association between dental restorations and artefacts in head MRI in children., Design: This retrospective analysis included patients who underwent head MRI and dental examination at Ramathibodi Hospital from January 2015 to March 2021. From dental records and dental radiographs, a dentist reviewed the amount and type of restorative materials used. Two radiologists examined the MRI scans in five sequences for the presence of distortions and quantified the magnitude and grading of any artefacts., Results: Ninety-four patients aged 3-15 years were included. Twenty-four patients who received preformed metal crowns (PMCs) had MRI distortions. Subjects with no restorations or with tooth-coloured material or amalgam restorations or both did not exhibit distortions. The number of PMCs was related to the size of an artefact. Almost all distortions were confined to the oral cavity and maxillary sinus and did not affect the diagnostic brain area., Conclusion: Among the commonly used dental restorative materials for children, only PMCs were associated with artefacts on head MRI scans., (© 2024 The Authors. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry published by BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Dental caries remains prevalent among children in Bhutan, despite an increasing number of oral health professionals (OHPs). Insights into caries preventive practices among OHPs can identify areas for capacity building., Aim: This cross-sectional descriptive study assessed the knowledge, attitude and practice of caries prevention in children among OHPs in Bhutan., Design: A self-administered online questionnaire was sent to all active registered OHPs., Results: The respondents included 73 dentists and 61 dental hygienists (88% response rate) with a mean experience of 8.4 ± 7.1 years. Many practitioners rarely saw children; most of them, however, exhibited a positive attitude towards caries prevention in children, yet lacked knowledge and practice, especially in younger children. Caries risk factors were not all recognized, and assessment was not practised. Many forms of fluoride were available, but their efficacy was underestimated. Fluoridated toothpaste was underutilized in younger children. Preventive practice relied mainly on giving advice. The most common limitations on preventive practice were the unavailability of materials and treatment prioritized over prevention., Conclusion: Caries prevention in Bhutanese children requires a systematic approach in the oral healthcare system and further education of OHPs. Proactive strategies, time management and efficient distribution of preventive materials could promote better practice., (© 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry published by BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives:  The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the clinical retention rate between hydrophilic and hydrophobic resin-based sealant placed under field setting and related factors., Materials and Methods:  Sixty-six children with 106 pairs of teeth in the same arch with matching International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) scores ranging from 0 to 2 were recruited. This study was a split-mouth design with each tooth in the pair randomly assigned into either hydrophobic resin-based sealant group (Concise white sealant, 3M. EPSE, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA) or hydrophilic resin-based sealant group (UltraSeal XT hydro sealant, Ultradent Products, South Jordan, Utah, USA). A dental therapist performed all procedures in a field setting on a mobile dental unit with a mobile saliva ejector. The retention rate was evaluated by two calibrated dentists and classified as fully retained, partially retained, and total loss., Statistical Analysis:  The outcomes were analyzed using McNemar's, chi-squared, and Fisher's exact test with a significance level of 0.05., Results:  After 12 months, 65 children with 105 pairs of teeth remained in this study. At 8-month follow-up, fully retained, partially retained, and total loss of material were found at 82.9, 15.2, and 1.9% in the hydrophobic group and 70.5, 26.7, and 2.9% in the hydrophilic group, respectively. At the 12-month follow-up, the outcomes were reduced, respectively, to 80, 17.1, and 2.9% in the hydrophobic group and 68.6, 27.6, and 3.8% in the hydrophilic group. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( p  > 0.05). Arch type was associated with the retention rate ( p  < 0.05), whereas ICDAS scores showed no correlation ( p  > 0.05)., Conclusion:  Both hydrophilic and hydrophobic resin-based sealant can be used under field conditions, with no significant difference in terms of retention rate., Competing Interests: None declared., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Background: Temperament associated with oral health behaviour and early childhood caries (ECC) in preschoolers remains inconclusive., Aim: This cross-sectional study investigated the association of temperament with oral health behaviour and ECC status., Design: A total of 421 Thai preschoolers were recruited from elementary schools in Chonburi Province, Thailand. Their caregivers assessed three temperament dimensions (surgency, negative affectivity and effortful control) using the Thai version of the Children's Behaviour Questionnaire Very Short Form and reported oral health behaviours (brushing cooperation and cariogenic snack frequency). Three calibrated dentists assessed ECC status using the modified WHO dmft/dmfs (decayed, missing and filled teeth/surface) index that included noncavitated and cavitated carious lesions., Results: Multiple regression analysis, after adjusting for child's and caregiver's characteristics, revealed that children with high negative affectivity or low effortful control were more likely to have uncooperative brushing behaviour. The temperament scores of children who consumed cariogenic snacks daily and those who did not were comparable. Children with low surgency, high negative affectivity or low effortful control were more likely to have high dmfs scores., Conclusion: Negative affectivity and effortful control were associated with brushing behaviour. Temperament was not associated with the frequency of cariogenic snack consumption. All temperamental dimensions, however, were associated with ECC., (© 2023 The Authors. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry published by BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The first dental visit (FDV) is fundamental to good oral health. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of FDV, including the influencing factors, in children attending the government dental hospital in Bangkok., Methods: This study included 289 pairs of new patients (aged 0-12 years) and their parents. The questionnaires, consisting of three parts: socio-demographic, reasons for the child's FDV and for not having FDV earlier, and the children's oral health knowledge and attitude, were completed by parents. The Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare variables among age groups. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the factors that influence the age at FDV. The variables included in the analysis were the child's characteristics, the family's socio-demographic background, the presence of symptoms, and the parents' knowledge and attitude towards their child's oral health., Results: The mean ages of children at FDV were 5.57 ± 2.88 (age range of 0.58-11.92) years. There were 2.42% who had FDV ≤ 12 months of age, and 76.5% of all children already had dental caries. A low attitude score among parents was significantly found in the older age group of children (p = 0.001). The influencing factors with the age at FDV were the parental age (p < 0.001), the presence of symptoms or chief complaints (p = 0.016), and the presence of dental caries (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Children in Bangkok had seriously delayed FDV compared to the recommended guidelines. The parental age strongly influenced the proper age at FDV, together with the presence of symptoms or chief complaints, and the presence of dental caries. Thus, an effective campaign to raise awareness about FDV is still needed, especially in advanced maternal age., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives:  Our aims were to evaluate the Vitapex pulpectomy (PE) success rate, Vitapex resorption rate, and their associated factors in primary teeth., Material and Methods:  This retrospective study evaluated the clinical records of Vitapex PE-treated patients at the Pediatric Dental Clinic, Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University, from 2013 to 2019. The patient's and pulpectomized tooth's characteristics, procedure, materials used, and type of operator were recorded. A dentist evaluated and compared the periapical lesion, root status, obturation quality, and Vitapex resorption on preoperative, immediate, and follow-up digital radiographs. PE failure was defined as radiographic lesion progression., Statistical Analysis:  The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the Vitapex PE success rate and Vitapex resorption rate. Multivariate Cox regression was used to determine the related factors., Results:  In total, 647 Vitapex PE teeth from 448 patients (19-121-month-old) were analyzed. The follow-up periods ranged from 6 to 60 months. The success rate was 88.9 and 68.1% at the 12- and 24-month follow-up, respectively, and remained stable at 53.8% at the 36 to 60-month follow-ups. The factors related to Vitapex PE failure were age and a preoperative pathologic lesion. More than 50% of the pulpectomized teeth presented Vitapex resorption faster than physiologic root resorption at the 12-month follow-up. The patients' age at treatment and the obturation quality were significantly related to the Vitapex resorption rate., Conclusions:  The success rate of Vitapex PE decreased time dependently and was related to the patient's age at treatment and a preoperative lesion. The Vitapex resorption was faster than root resorption and was associated with the patient's age at treatment and the root filling extravasation., Competing Interests: None declared, (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Background: This 18-month randomized clinical trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of two topical fluoride applications versus placebo control on preventing development of approximal caries in primary teeth., Methods: Preschool children were recruited if they had at least one initial approximal carious lesion at the distal surface of the canines, both approximal surfaces of the first molars, or the mesial surface of the second molars assessed from bitewing radiographs. The participants were randomly allocated into 3 intervention groups: Group 1 (placebo control), Group 2 (5% sodium fluoride [NaF] varnish), and Group 3 (38% silver diamine fluoride [SDF]). All agents were applied semiannually. Two calibrated examiners evaluated the caries development from bitewing radiographs. Caries development was recorded when the baseline sound surface or initial approximal carious lesion surface developed dentin caries (beyond the outer one-third of dentine) at the follow-up examination. The intention-to-treat approach was adopted. The Chi-square test was used to analyze the effectiveness of topical fluoride agents in preventing approximal caries development and the effect of other variables. The multi-level logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relative effectiveness of topical fluoride agents in preventing approximal caries development at the 18-month follow-up., Results: At baseline, 190 participants with 2,685 sound or initial carries at the approximal surfaces were recruited. No differences in participant demographic backgrounds, oral health related habits, or caries experience were observed among the 3 groups (P > 0.05). After 18 months, 155 (82%) participants remained in the study. The rates of developing approximal caries in Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 24.1%, 17.1%, and 27.2%, respectively (P < 0.001, χ 2 test). After adjusting for confounding factors and clustering effect, the multilevel logistic regression analysis showed no differences in caries development rates between the 3 groups (P > 0.05). Tooth type and the extent of a carious lesion at baseline were the significant factors for caries development., Conclusion: At 18-month follow-up, after adjusting for confounding factors and clustering effect, there were no statistically significant differences in preventing of approximal caries development between the semiannual application of 5%NaF, 38%SDF, or placebo., Trial Registration: The study was registered in the Thai Clinical Trials Registry under the number TCTR20190315003 on 15/03/2019., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: As caries prevalence in Thai preschool children is very high and its consequences have scarcely been evaluated, the Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5) is considered as an appropriate tool to measure the children's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL)., Aim: To translate the SOHO-5 into Thai (Th-SOHO-5) and assess its psychometric characteristics., Design: The cross-cultural adaptation of the SOHO-5 into Thai comprised forward-backward translation by experts and face validation by 20 child-parent dyads. To evaluate psychometric properties of the final version, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 306 child-parent pairs using an interview mode for children and a self-administered mode for parents. A trained investigator examined children's caries status., Results: The Th-SOHO-5 showed satisfactory psychometric characteristics. Cronbach's alpha values were above 0.8 for both child and proxy reports. Overall intraclass correlation coefficients were > 0.9. Factor analysis supported a single-factor structure model of the Th-SOHO-5 and showed an excellent fit. Th-SOHO-5 scores were correlated with all global rating scales of oral health and well-being. Children with higher caries experience or caries with pulpal involvement demonstrated significantly higher Th-SOHO-5 scores., Conclusion: The Th-SOHO-5 possessed good reliability and validity. It can be used to evaluate the OHRQoL of preschool children in Thailand., (© 2022 BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Few studies report on managing initial proximal caries with sealants, and no reports focus on fluoride-releasing sealants., Aim: To compare the effectiveness between applications of a fluoride-releasing sealant and fluoride varnish on proximal enamel caries to control caries progression in permanent teeth., Design: This was a split-mouth randomized controlled trial in forty-four 11- to 16-year-old children with radiographic caries in at least one contralateral pair of teeth with proximal enamel caries. The lesions were evaluated using DIAGNOdent and were also assessed visually after tooth separation. The lesions in each subject were randomly sealed with a fluoride-releasing sealant (Helioseal® F) or applied with fluoride varnish (Duraphat®). The fluoride varnish-treated lesion was reapplied at 3 and 6 months. Clinical examination, bitewing radiograph evaluation, and DIAGNOdent assessment were performed at 6 and 12 months. The caries progression outcome variables were regression, no change, and progression. The data were analyzed with the McNemar-Bowker test., Results: Radiographic examination and DIAGNOdent assessment demonstrated no significant differences in the percentages of regression, no change, or progression at the 12-month follow-up (p > .05)., Conclusion: Applications of a fluoride-releasing sealant and of fluoride varnish three times resulted in a nonsignificant difference in caries progression of initial proximal caries at the 12-month follow-up., (© 2022 BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: There is limited information on the effectiveness of 38% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) in managing enamel caries. Objective: This study aimed to compare effectiveness of 38% SDF and 5% Sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish in arresting enamel caries in young children when applied semiannually over 18 months. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on children aged 1−3 years who had at least one active carious surface. They were allocated into two groups: Group 1 (38% SDF) and Group 2 (5% NaF varnish). Visual-tactile examination was used to assess extent of carious lesions. Enamel caries that did not progress to dentin were classified as having caries arrest. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed. Results: At baseline, 290 children with 1974 tooth surfaces with enamel caries were recruited. Caries arrest rates at the tooth surface level in Group 1 and Group 2 were 59.1% and 58.8%, respectively (p = 0.873), at 18 months. The multilevel logistic regression analysis revealed that tooth position, tooth surface, extent of enamel caries at baseline, caries experience, and brushing with fluoride toothpaste influenced caries arrest (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The semiannual application of 38% SDF and 5% NaF varnish had comparable effectiveness in arresting enamel caries in primary teeth.

Background/purpose: The unmet dental needs are still at the highest rate in patients with special health care needs (SHCN) owing to their physical conditions, lack of cooperation, anxiety and dental fear. This study was aimed to investigate the differences in characteristics and outcomes of dental treatment between general anesthesia (GA) and non-pharmacological approach (NP) in patients with SHCN., Materials and Methods: This study reviewed the dental chart records of SHCN patients from 2005 to 2019. The dental chart records were divided into two subgroups: GA and NP groups. The demographic data, recall behavior and treatment outcomes were analyzed and compared between groups. The comparisons between groups were analyzed by Pearson's chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U test at a significant level of 0.05., Results: Two hundred and sixty-one patients aged 2.2-43.1 years with mean age 14.22 ± 8.64 years old were included. The proportion of cases treated under GA (62%) and NP (38%) was 1.6:1. General anesthesia group had significantly higher in mean ages, caries experience, definitely negative behavior and treatment needs than NP group ( P  < 0.001). Moreover, recall rates in GA group were significantly lower than NP group ( P  < 0.001) without a significant difference in regularity. New caries occurrence ( P  = 0.015) with faster rate ( P  = 0.035), and behavior changes was significantly found in GA group ( P  = 0.007) after 24 months of recall., Conclusion: Patients with SHCN who were at older age and had high caries experience with definitely negative behavior and numerous treatment needs were more justifiably for GA. A significant new caries occurrence with faster rate tended towards SHCN patients who underwent GA., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article., (© 2021 Association for Dental Sciences of the Republic of China. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V.)

Aims: To evaluate the effect of visual pedagogy-guided toothbrushing training on oral hygiene, toothbrushing ability, and fine motor skills in individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and impaired fine motor skills., Methods: This quasi-experimental study comprised 37 subjects aged 6-24 years. The plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), toothbrushing ability, and fine motor skills were evaluated before and after 3 and 6 months of individual visual pedagogy-guided toothbrushing training. Friedman's post hoc test and Spearman's correlation coefficient were used for statistical analyses., Results: The PI, GI, toothbrushing ability, and fine motor skills of the 23 subjects who remained in the study at the 6-month follow-up period significantly improved from those measured at baseline (p < 0.05). A significant association was observed between the improvements in both toothbrushing ability and fine motor skills (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Visual pedagogy-guided toothbrushing training could improve the oral hygiene and toothbrushing ability of individuals with ID and impaired fine motor skills. Moreover, improvements in the toothbrushing ability could enhance the fine motor skills of these individuals., (© 2021 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) was developed in Japan in the 1960s. It is a clear solution containing silver and fluoride ions. Because of its anti-bacterial and remineralizing effect, silver diamine fluoride has been used in managing dental caries for decades worldwide. This paper aims to summarize and discuss the global policies, guidelines, and relevant information on utilizing SDF for caries management. SDF can be used for treating dental caries in most countries. However, it is not permitted to be used in mainland China. Several manufacturers, mainly in Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, and the United States, produce SDF at different concentrations that are commercially available around the world. The prices differ between contents and brands. Different government organizations and dental associations have developed guidelines for clinical use of SDF. Dental professionals can refer to the specific guidelines in their own countries or territories. Training for using SDF is part of undergraduate and/or postgraduate curriculums in almost all countries. However, real utilization of SDF of dentists, especially in the private sector, remains unclear in most places because little research has been conducted. There are at least two ongoing regional-wide large-scale oral health programs, using SDF as one of the components to manage dental caries in young children (one in Hong Kong and one in Mongolia). Because SDF treatment does not require caries removal, and it is simple, non-invasive, and inexpensive, SDF is a valuable strategy for caries management in young children, elderly people, and patients with special needs. In addition, to reduce the risk of bacteria or virus transmission in dental settings, using SDF as a non-aerosol producing procedure should be emphasized under the COVID-19 outbreak., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Gao, Amarquaye, Arrow, Bansal, Bedi, Campus, Chen, Chibinski, Chinzorig, Crystal, Duangthip, Ferri, Folayan, Garidkhuu, Hamama, Jirarattanasopha, Kemoli, Leal, Leelataweewud, Mathur, Mfolo, Momoi, Potgieter, Tezvergil-Mutluay, Lo and Chu.)

Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) is prevalent in Thailand, but no appropriate tool has been available to measure its impact on children's quality of life. This study translated the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), a widely used proxy-reported questionnaire developed in the United States for measuring the oral health-related quality of life of preschool children and their families, into Thai (Th-ECOHIS). The scale's psychometric properties were investigated in Thai caregivers and their children., Methods: Cultural adaptation for the scale development within the Thai context was processed using forward-backward translation by experts. A face and content validation was conducted among 20 Thai caregivers to attain the final Th-ECOHIS. Psychometric testing was done on 3-year-old child-caregiver pairs in Bangkok using the interviewer-administered mode. Children's oral health was determined by caries experience (decayed, missing and filled primary teeth, dmft) and treatment need. The caregivers answered the Th-ECOHIS and global questions regarding their perception of the children's oral health. Across-items reliability was assessed by internal consistency using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Test-retest reliability was managed at a 2-week interval in 10% of the sample using the intraclass correlation coefficient calculated by two-way analysis of variance. The discriminant validity was tested by the relationship between the severity of dental caries, treatment need and Th-ECOHIS scores, using the Kruskal-Wallis test., Results: A total of 214 child-caregiver pairs participated. Twenty-two percent had ECC (dmft 1-3) and 17.3% had severe ECC (dmft 4 or higher) with mean (SD) dmft 1.63 (2.92). All items in the original ECOHIS were retained in the Thai version. The test-retest reliability of Th-ECOHIS was 0.87; internal consistency was 0.85; the total Th-ECOHIS scores were significantly correlated with the global rating of oral health question (r = 0.604). Th-ECOHIS scores in both child and family impact sections and the total were significantly associated with the severity of caries (p <  0.001) and treatment need (p <  0.001)., Conclusions: Th-ECOHIS demonstrated good reliability and validity. It could be used on caregivers to assess the impacts of ECC on quality of life of Thai pre-school children and compared to other countries.

Objectives: The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of 38% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) solution, and 5% sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish applied semiannually in arresting dentin caries in young children with high caries risk., Methods: Children aged 1-3 years who had at least one active dentin carious lesion were randomly allocated into 2 groups as follows: Group 1 = 38% SDF (Topamine), and Group 2 = 5% NaF varnish (Duraphat). Both agents were applied every 6 months onto the carious surface. Lesion activity was assessed by the visual-tactile examination. Baseline and follow-up examinations were conducted by the same examiner. The children's demographic background, oral health-related habits, and oral hygiene practices, as well as parental satisfaction with children's dental appearance were collected at baseline and the 12-month follow-up., Results: At baseline, 153 and 149 children were recruited in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively. The mean dmfs scores in Groups 1 and 2 were 8.89 and 9.79, respectively. After 12 months, 87.1% remained in the study. The caries arrest rate of Group 1 (35.7%) was significantly higher than that of Group 2 (20.9%) (p < 0.001). The results of the multilevel logistic regression analysis confirmed that the treatment in Group 1 was more effective in arresting dentin carious lesions than that of Group 2 (OR = 2.04; 95% CI, 1.41-2.96). The presence of plaque on caries lesions, tooth type, tooth surface type, frequency of milk feeding, snack taking, and family income influenced on caries activity. Regardless of the intervention groups, there were no differences in parental satisfaction with on the child's dental appearance before and after receiving the intervention., Conclusion: Based on the 12-month results, 38% SDF is more effective than 5% NaF varnish in arresting dentin carious lesions in young children. SDF has no negative impact on parental satisfaction with the child's dental appearance., Clinical Significance: To control dentin carious lesions in young children with high caries risk, 38% SDF is more effective than 5% NaF varnish., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To compare the clinical use of a single-file NiTi reciprocal system (sNiTi) to that of stainless steel hand file (SSH) instrumentation in primary tooth pulpectomy., Materials and Methods: A prospective randomized clinical trial was conducted in 34 healthy children aged 3-7 years. Thirty-seven mandibular primary molars were randomly assigned to two groups: sNiTi and SSH. Instrumentation time, obturation time, quality of obturation, and 6- and 12-month clinical and radiographic outcomes were compared between the two groups., Results: The median instrumentation time using sNiTi (3.23 min) was significantly shorter than that for SSH (7.38 min). Obturation times were not different. The quality of obturation was significantly different only in the mesial root canals; overfilling was seen more in the sNiTi group, while underfilling occurred more in the SSH group. At 6 and 12 months, both groups showed comparable clinical and radiographic success regardless of the type of instrumentation., Conclusions: sNiTi shortens instrumentation time with comparable obturation time, overall quality of obturation, and clinical and radiographic outcomes with SSH., Clinical Relevance: Pulpectomy is indicated to prevent premature loss of primary teeth with irreversible inflamed or infected pulp. However, it is complicated and time-consuming. sNiTi reciprocating system is an alternative to hand filing technique, avoiding multiple steps and simplifying pulpectomy procedures.

"Buddhist Lent Dry Campaign" is an alcohol-control programme that uses religious opportunities to promote behavioural changes among the Thai population. It is undertaken at the national and community levels. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of the community-level intervention under the campaign on alcohol consumption behaviour. A prospective cohort study was conducted. The sample comprised 447 drinkers from four intervention communities and 388 from four non-intervention communities. All were subjected to a series of sequential interviews. Our findings showed that the availability of the community intervention had a significant effect on alcohol abstinence not only during Buddhist Lent (OR = 2.74, 95% CI = 1.96, 3.85), but also 3 months after the end of Buddhist Lent (OR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.42, 3.38). Furthermore, the intervention was very effective among drinkers who took an abstinence pledge (OR = 7.04, 95% CI = 4.49, 11.04). However, the effectiveness of the community intervention weakened after the intervention it ended. Additional interventions might be required to maintain the effects of the community intervention., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)