Educational intervention on the complications associated with the use of orofacial piercings in adolescents. Quivicán Municipality, Cuba

Abstract

Introduction: The use of orofacial piercings in adolescents, driven by aesthetic and identity-related reasons, represents a growing public health problem due to its potential local and systemic complications. Previous research on this issue was lacking in the municipality of Quivicán. Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational intervention on the complications associated with the use of orofacial piercings in adolescents belonging to the “Pablo Noriega” and “Máximo Gómez” basic secondary schools in the municipality of Quivicán. Methods: A quasi-experimental study (before-after, without a control group) was conducted between February 2024 and February 2026. The sample included 52 adolescents with orofacial piercings. An initial survey was administered to assess the level of knowledge, followed by a weekly educational intervention using participatory techniques on complications, contraindications, aftercare, and the risks of transmissible diseases. Effectiveness was evaluated through a final survey and a percentage change (considered effective if ≥30%). Results: Initially, over 68% of students in both schools demonstrated insufficient knowledge on all assessed topics. Following the intervention, a significant improvement was observed: the percentage of students with sufficient knowledge increased to 86.36% on some topics. The effectiveness of the intervention ranged from 40% to 83.33% depending on the school and topic, consistently exceeding the 30% threshold. Conclusions: The educational intervention was effective in significantly raising adolescents' knowledge of the risks of orofacial piercing. The variability in results between schools suggests the need to adapt educational strategies to specific sociocultural contexts.