An interventional study of Various levels of patient education in Obesity and Bariatric Surgery Candidate, sponsored by St. Olavs Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Norway. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-20.
Sponsored by St. Olavs Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
The background for the study is that many bariatric surgery patients struggle with their oral health after bariatric surgery. This is probably related to both physiological changes and changes in eating and drinking patterns. In addition, many have reduced oral health even before surgery, and a significant proportion also have dental treatment anxiety, which also affects their ability to seek dental treatment. In sum, this is probably a patient group that may be at risk of oral pathology.
Participants in the study will be randomly allocated to different patient education programmes. The three interventions are:
The outcomes recorded are level of knowledge, drinking patterns, self-perceived oral health, and oral hygiene routines.
Both caries and periodontitis are more prevalent among people with obesity. At the same time, we know that bariatric surgery is associated with poorer oral health expressed by caries, enamel erosion and short-term increased inflammation in the gums. Although we do not yet have evidence to determine causality, we suspect that oral health in bariatric surgery patients is further impaired by both systemic effects (hyposalivation, altered oral microbiome, reflux and vomiting) and by altered eating and drinking patterns after surgery (acid exposure with subsequent demineralisation of tooth enamel).
The patient's own diet and oral hygiene can be an opportunity to prevent or slow down such oral problems, but requires personal effort and must be a special focus in patient education.
Patient education is one of the hospital's statutory duties, but the quality of patient education is rarely systematically investigated. This project investigates the effect of three alternative educational interventions on patients' drinking habits, oral hygiene routines, knowledge level and oral health. The three interventions are a website with adapted patient information, group-based education given by healthcare professionals, and distribution of relevant product samples to maintain oral hygiene. Patients are randomised between the different educational interventions.
6,296 studies on the registry are indexed under Obesity; 1,692 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 300 is above the median of 78 across 4,878 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.
Browse Obesity studies →St. Olavs Hospital is the lead sponsor of 165 studies on the registry; 30 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
In this arm, all three educational activities are included: Teaching (in a group), distribution of free dental hygiene samples, and advice on reading the customised website. This arm is compared to Arm 2.
Other: Various levels of patient education
In this arm, patients are distributed free dental hygiene samples, and given advice on reading the customised website. This arm is compared to Arm 1.
Other: Various levels of patient education
In this arm, patients are distributed free dental hygiene samples, and given advice on reading the customised website. This arm is compared to Arm 4.
Other: Various levels of patient education
In this arm, patients are adviced on reading the customised website. This arm is compared to Arm 3.
Other: Various levels of patient education
The three interventions: GROUP BASED TEACHING In groups of 8-12 patients, 30 minutes of standardised teaching is given. The teaching focuses in particular on the changes in diet and the impact this has on oral pH, enamel erosion and caries; recommended oral hygiene; and good drinking habits. WEBSITE Website providing recommendations for oral hygiene and drinking habits, as well as in depth information on the topic. DENTAL HYGIENE SAMPLES These are samples relevant for maintaining proper oral hygiene, distributed free, together with a description of how to use them.
Drinking habits
Reported intake plain water with no additives
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months postop. to 24 months postop.
Dental hygiene
Self-reported dental hygiene
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months postop. to 24 months postop.
Level of knowledge
Knowledge reflecting the central parts of the patient education
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months postop. to 24 months postop.
Oral health
Self-reported oral health, including OHIP14
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months postop. to 24 months postop.
Plan to share: No
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