Effects of Professional Toothbrushing and Instruction in the Elderly: A Randomized Trial / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of providing toothbrushing by professionals as part of oral hygiene education for the elderly. We randomly visited 12 centers in the metropolitan city and analyzed the data of 114 participants among 310 early registrants aged >65 years, who participated in the study at all 3 time points. The subjects were categorized into an experimental group (odd-numbered visits) and a control group (even-numbered visits). Oral hygiene practices were provided for both experimental and control groups, but professional toothbrushing was performed in a different manner in the experimental group. Differences in plaque index (PI) according to the subjects' general characteristics and oral health status were assessed using the t-test, and the effect of PI difference between the experimental and control groups was assessed by repeated measure two-way analysis of variance. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to analyze factors affecting the PI. At baseline, the mean overall PI was 61.82. In both experimental and control groups, the PI significantly reduced from the baseline (p <0.01). At 5 weeks, the experimental group showed a decrease of 27.16 points from the baseline, and the 10-week PI was similar to the 5-week PI. The control group showed a decrease of 14.87 points from the baseline, and the PI increased by 5.74 points at 10 weeks. PI-related factors were gender and self-xerostomia. The PI was lower in the female group and the group with self-xerostomia (p <0.01). It is important to select an appropriate method to educate elderly subjects on proper removal of dental plaque and to habituate correct behavior, which requires inclusion of a direct toothbrushing intervention by a specialist.

Influencing factors in the halitosis / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to analyze the factors that influence adults halitosis. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 186 adults aged from 35 to 69, between April 4 and May 30, 2012. Data were analyzed with t-test, one-way ANOVA, and binary logistic regression analysis SPSS 19.0. RESULTS: The most influential factor of VSCs was halitosis perceived by others (OR: 5.18; 95% CI: 1.82-14.70), which was followed by oral respiration (OR: 3.65; 95% CI: 1.28-10.41), and O'Leary index (OR: 3.40; 95% CI: 1.55-7.46) in the order. The influential factors of ammonia were respiratory disease (OR: 30.72; 95% CI: 1.85-51.37), gastrointestinal disease (OR: 12.28; 95% CI: 1.78-44.79), missing tooth (OR: 3.75; 95% CI: 1.57-8.92), periodontal pocket (OR: 2.61; 95% CI: 1.10-6.18), tongue brushing (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.15-0.95), and oral prophylaxis (within a year) (OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.13-0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Halitosis is the result of complex actions among individual characteristics, systematic disease, oral health state, and health behavior.