RESUMEN
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect a chewable tablet containing sodium fluoride and xylitol (DenPo, Hamizzle, Bucheon, Kyungki) on the oral hygiene state in the orthodontic patients. The subjects consisted of 30 adult orthodontic patients, who have worn the fixed orthodontic appliance at least 6 months. They were instructed to use the tablet forth a day. Gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), and sulcus bleeding index (SBI) of upper and lower anterior and posterior regions were measured before using the tablet (T0), 2 weeks after using the tablet (T1), and 4 weeks after using the tablet (T2). The data were analyzed with Wilcoxon signed ranks tests. The results were as follows ; 1. PI was decreased significantly in the T1 and T2 stage compared with T0 stage in the both anterior and posterior regions (p 0.05). 2. GI and SBI showed similar results compared with PI. In the T1 and T2 stage, there was statistically significant decrease in the GI and SBI (p < 0.05). This study showed that the DenPo tablet could be used as an adjunct to improve oral hygiene in the orthodontic patients. The decrease of the indices may suggest that DenPo tablet could be effective in the plaque removal and prevention of gingival inflammation in the orthodontic patients.