Table 3 Effectiveness of the intervention in improving oral and overall health outcomes between children living with HIV and without HIV (all dentitions, mixed dentition, permanent teeth dentition types at baseline)

Height for age (mean, SD)

 Baseline

 Endline

 − 0.06

 − 0.08

 − 0.04

 < 0.01*

 − 0.06

 − 0.09

 − 0.03

 < 0.01*

 − 0.05

 − 0.08

 − 0.02

 < 0.01*

Body mass index for age (mean, SD)

 Baseline

 Endline

0.03

 < 0.01

0.07

0.05

0.03

 − 0.03

0.09

0.35

0.03

 − 0.02

0.07

0.26

Overall QOL (mean, SD)

 Baseline

 Endline

0.01

 − 0.01

0.03

0.51

0.02

 − 0.01

0.04

0.23

 − 0.01

 − 0.04

0.03

0.73

OHQOL (mean, SD)

 Baseline

 Endline

 < 0.01

 − 0.05

0.06

0.92

 − 0.02

 − 0.09

0.05

0.55

0.02

 − 0.06

0.11

0.58

Salivary pH (mean, SD)

 Baseline

 Endline

 < 0.01

 − 0.01

0.02

0.51

 < 0.01

 − 0.01

0.02

0.78

 < 0.01

 − 0.02

0.03

0.77

Salivary flow (mean, SD)

 Baseline

 Endline

 − 0.20

 − 0.27

 − 0.13

 < 0.01*

 − 0.21

 − 0.31

 − 0.11

 < 0.01

 − 0.14

 − 0.26

 − 0.02

0.02*

Total teeth (mean, SD)

 Baseline

 Endline

0.23

0.16

0.31

 < 0.01*

0.18

0.09

0.28

 < 0.01

0.16

0.03

0.28

0.02*

DMFT (permanent teeth) (mean, SD)

 Baseline

 Endline

0.08

 < 0.01

0.16

0.05

0.08

 − 0.03

0.19

0.13

0.16

0.03

0.28

0.02*

dmft (deciduous teeth) (mean, SD)

 Baseline

 Endline

0.10

 − 0.04

0.24

0.18

0.10

 − 0.04

0.24

0.17

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Debris index (mean, SD)

 Baseline

 Endline

 − 0.01

 − 0.05

0.04

0.78

0.03

 − 0.02

0.08

0.30

 − 0.01

 − 0.08

0.07

0.87

Visited a dentist for pain or trouble with teeth (n, %)

 Baseline

 Endline

0.24

0.10

0.57

 < 0.01*

0.30

0.09

0.98

0.05

0.20

0.03

1.30

0.09

Brush three times and more per day (n, %)

 Baseline

 Endline

1.96

0.88

4.36

0.10

1.81

0.62

5.31

0.28

3.26

0.67

15.85

0.14

Brush for three minutes or more (n, %)

 Baseline

 Endline

3.78

1.70

8.40

0.01*

2.74

0.96

7.80

0.06

0.54

1.19

24.56

0.03*

Caregiver never care child’s toothbrushing (n, %)

 Baseline

 Endline

3.24

0.56

18.70

0.19

3.20

0.48

21.18

0.23

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a