Effects of personalized oral hygiene management on oral health status of pregnant women

BACKGROUND The Cariostat caries activity test(CAT)was used to evaluate the effectiveness of personalized oral hygiene management combining oral health education and professional mechanical tooth cleaning on the oral health status of pregnant women.AIM To investigate whether personalized oral hygiene management enhances the oral health status of pregnant women.METHODS A total of 114 pregnant women who were examined at Dalian Women’s and Children’s Medical Center were divided into four groups:High-risk experimental group(n=29;CAT score≥2;received personalized oral hygiene management training),low-risk experimental group(n=29;CAT score≤1;received oral health education),high-risk control group(n=28;CAT score≥2),and low-risk control group(n=28;CAT score≤1).No hygiene intervention was provided to control groups.CAT scores at different times were compared using independent samples t-test and least significant difference t-test.RESULTS No significant difference in baseline CAT scores was observed between the experimental and control groups,either in the high-risk or low-risk groups.CAT scores were reduced significantly after 3(1.74±0.47 vs 2.50±0.38,P<0.0001)and 6 months(0.53±0.50 vs 2.45±0.42,P<0.0001)of personalized oral hygiene management intervention but not after oral health education alone(0.43±0.39 vs 0.46±0.33,P>0.05 and 0.45±0.36 vs 0.57±0.32,P>0.05,respectively).Within groups,the decrease in CAT scores was significant(2.43±0.44 vs 1.74±0.47 vs 0.53±0.50,P<0.0001)for only the high-risk experimental group.CONCLUSION Personalized oral hygiene management is effective in improving the oral health of pregnant women and can improve pregnancy outcomes and the oral health of the general population.

Oral Hygiene in the Presence of Orthodontic Therapy

Orthodontic treatment offers great advantages in improving facial and smile aesthetics, self-confidence and the function of the stomatognathic apparatus. The pursuit of these advantages makes use of orthodontic appliances that could be fixed or removable. However, it’s worth stating that these appliances interfere with tooth brushing, making it more difficult to brush teeth effectively. Orthodontics appliances therefore promote the accumulation of dental plaque, which results in both quantitative and qualitative changes in the oral microbiota, hence, exposing patients to several adverse effects such as White spot lesions, dental caries, periodontal pathologies and halitosis. For this reason, oral assessment of patients before, during and after treatment is necessary as well as oral hygiene instructions and motivation. Orthodontists therefore, should educate patients on oral and periodontal hygiene in order to control dental and periodontal complications. Prescriptions of plaque control materials adapted to each patient are done in order to optimize the final result and minimize unwanted complications.

Assessment of Knowledge of the Relationship between Periodontal Disease and Systemic Disease among Dental Students and Its Impact on Oral Hygiene Practices

Background: Dental students play a role in both oral and general health education in their communities, so it is important that they have good knowledge to enable them offer good counsel. Knowing the relationship between periodontal disease and systemic conditions will put them in better stead when giving oral health education. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge among dental students of the relationship between periodontal diseases and systemic conditions, and to determine whether there was a correlation between this knowledge and their oral hygiene practices. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among dental students of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Consenting participants were given a self-administered questionnaire eliciting socio-demographic information, knowledge about the relationship between periodontal diseases and systemic diseases, as well as oral hygiene practices. Each correct response on knowledge was scored as 1, while incorrect responses were scored 0, with a maximum score of 7. Participants’ knowledge was graded as poor (0 - 2), fair (3 - 5) and good (6 - 7). Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21. p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Spearman’s ranked correlation was used to assess the correlation between knowledge of the relationship between periodontal diseases and systemic diseases and oral hygiene practices. Results: There were 109 dental students (58 males, 51 females) in this study, with a mean age of 24.1 ± 3.6 years. Preclinical students were 43 (39.4%) while clinical students were 66 (60.6%). All (100%) participants knew that oral health was important to systemic health, with 89.9% knowing that periodontal disease was specifically linked to systemic disease. Only 50.5% of participants knew that there was a link between periodontal disease and diabetes mellitus. Sixty-four (58.7%) of the participants regularly cleaned in between their teeth. The most commonly used interdental cleaning aid was toothpick (45.0%). Clinical students had significantly better knowledge on the relationship between periodontal disease and systemic disease compared to pre-clinical students (p = 0.001). There was positive correlation between knowledge about periodontal disease and its link with systemic disease and better oral hygiene practices, but this was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The majority of dental students had a fair knowledge about the relationship between periodontal diseases and systemic diseases.

Dietary Habits and Oral Hygiene Practice amongst Dental Students at the College of Dentistry, Princess Nourah University

The aim of the present study was to assess the dietary habits and oral hygiene practice of dental students in a new dental school. A self-administered structured closed-ended questionnaire on demographic characteristics, medical history, oral hygiene and dietary habits was distributed to dental students. Results showed that One third of students indicated that they don’t consume low pH beverages (soft drinks) at all, while 48.9% drink a soft drink or two a day. Students took varying amount of time to consume their drinks. The majority of participants consumed citric juices, fruits and/or pickles at least once a day. 91.3% of students use either soft (41.8%) or medium (49.5%) toothbrush. Only a fifth (16.9%) of the students brush their teeth after drinking soft drinks and 58.2% brush their teeth after vomiting. In conclusion, young adults need to be aware about their dietary habits & oral hygiene, and also a proper dental health program needs to be applied.

Assessment of Dental Caries and Oral Hygiene Status Among Twins

The study of twins provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the genetic and nongenetic contributions to a variance of multitude of traits.Twin research has revealed the impact of a strong genetic component to the variance of many dental traits.The present study was conducted to assess the dental caries and oral hygiene status in monozygotic(MZ)and dizygotic(DZ)twins.A random sample of 129 MZ and DZ twin pairs aged 6-15 years were included in this study.The zygosity of twin pairs was initially recorded by facial appearance and later determined by dermatoglyphics.Dental caries and oral hygiene status were recorded in these twin pairs and the data were subjected to statistical analysis.No significant difference was observed in the mean decayed,extracted due to caries and filled teeth(deft)in primary dentition and decayed,missing and filled(DMFT)in permanent dentition scores and oral hygiene status in MZ and DZ twin pair&The similarity observed in oral health status reflects the effects of a shared environment in MZ and DZ twin pairs.

Analysis of a New Toothbrushing Technique through Plaque Removal Success

Background/Aims: Determining the levels of oral health and the quality of dental care are fundamental to building concepts of oral health. This study aims to assess toothbrushing techniques using a technical and physical model, clarifying how children and pre-adults learn to brush their teeth. Materials and Methods: Data were recorded from 23 participants, both male and female of various ages, using a proposed electronic toothbrush equipped with X-Y-Z axes pathways. The data, collected before and after training experiments, were processed with MATLAB to generate plots for the three axes. Results: The study revealed that most parameter values, such as Mean Difference Between Amplitudes (MAV, 6.00), Wilson Amplitude (WAMP, 179.419), and Average Amplitude Coupling (AAC, 1.270), decreased from before to after the experiments. Furthermore, the average overall epoch lengths (AVG) showed a 75% reduction in movement amplitude between the two experiments. Conclusion: Dentist observations indicated which brushing methods were acceptable or not. Analytical values suggest that individuals learn the toothbrushing technique effectively, and medical observations clearly demonstrate the success of the proposed method.

Changes in oral trace gas concentrations following orthognathic surgery and intermaxillary fixation: a case study using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry

Orthognathic surgery is frequently accompanied by intermaxillary fixation. Intermaxillary fixation impedes the maintenance of effective oral hygiene and prolonged fixation can result in periodontal disease. A potential shorter term effect is the generation of oral malodour. It is unclear, however, as to how the production of malodorous compounds in the oral cavity is altered post-surgery. Oral air concentration of sulphur containing compounds, short chain organic acids, ammonia, isoprene and acetone were measured using selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry in a patient who had undergone orthognathic surgery with subsequent intermaxillary fixation. Total sulphide levels rose approximately 5-fold during fixation with metal ties, with smaller increases recorded for the other compounds measured with the exception of isoprene which remained close to baseline levels. Organic acid levels declined markedly once elastic ties had replaced metal ties, with a lesser reduction being observed in sulphide levels, with both declining further after the commencement of a chlorhexidinecontaining mouthwash. These data suggest that bacterial generation of a variety of malodorous compounds increases markedly following intermaxillary fixation. This single case also suggests that the use of elastic ties and effective oral hygiene techniques, including the use of chlorhexidine mouthwash, may help ameliorate such post-surgical effects.

Professional Domiciliary Oral Care for Elderly in Nursing Homes—A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Domiciliary dental care (DDC) makes regular dental visits possible for people with different functional limitations who otherwise would not be able to access a dental clinic. DDC also facilitates cooperation with nursing staff. To our knowledge, the effect of DDC on oral health among elderly people in nursing homes has not been studied. As part of a project to establish recommendations for DDC, the aim of this randomized, controlled, single-blind, pilot trial with three parallel arms was to study the effect of professionally conducted oral care intervention, in domiciliary setting, on gingival bleeding on probing, dental plaque and oral mucosa. For three months, the participants were given either A) monthly professional DDC with oral care intervention, B) monthly individual oral care instructions, or C) oral care as usual. A total of 102 (n = 107) individuals completed the study. After three months, gingival bleeding on probing was significantly reduced among more participants in groups A and B compared with group C (p < 0.0004). Dental plaque scores changed significantly over three months for group B compared with group C (p < 0.04). Mucosal-plaque scores were significantly reduced in group A compared with both group B and C (p < 0.0001). All other intergroup differences were statistically non-significant. Compared with care as usual, professional DDC has the most favourable effect on gingival bleeding, whereas individual oral care instructions result in the highest reduction of dental plaque. Both professional oral care interventions and individual oral-hygiene instructions should be included in a domiciliary oralcare programme.

Probiotics——A complete oral healthcare package

Probiotics are living bacterial cells that have significant therapeutic potential for treating human infectious diseases.There is a huge market for probiotics in the pharmaceutical sector.They have been frequently used to treat the gastrointestinal diseases and improve gut immunity.In this review,the strains currently in use for manufacturing oral probiotic formulations are discussed.The review further recommends the use of probiotics for the control of various oral health disorders,like dental caries,periodontitis,gingivitis,halitosis,burning mouth syndrome,and oral cancer.Finally,this review also explores the use of various commercial probiotic products in maintaining oral health,their market values,and government acts and regulations that are relevant to the production and marketing of probiotics.Probiotics have tremendous therapeutic potential and more in-depth research must be done on these beneficial bacteria to make them one of the leading drugs in treating oral disorders.

Black hairy tongue associated with allo peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Tongue lesions resulting from mucositis are a frequent complication of high-dose chemotherapy and irradiation. They are very common in patients with hematopoiefic stem cell transplantation, and tongue lesions due to other causes have also been reported. Black hairy tongue （BHT） is a special tongue lesion, not rare in the population with tobacco abuse, but so far it has not been reported after allo peripheral blood hematopoietic stern cell transplantation （allo-PBHST）. Here we presented a patient who developed BHT after allo-PBHST and discussed the factors that may cause this condition.