Premium
Use of gingival bleeding for reinforcement of oral home care behavior
Author(s) -
Walsh Margaret M.,
Heckman Barbara H.,
MoreauDiettinger Rebecca
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1985.tb00427.x
Subject(s) - medicine , toothbrush , dentistry , oral hygiene , tooth brushing , bleeding on probing , gingival and periodontal pocket , periodontal disease , brush , electrical engineering , engineering
The present study examined the use of gingival bleeding as a reinforcement mechanism for inter proximal home care with the toothpick. After initial assessments of plaque and gingival bleeding, 36 subjects were given a professional tooth cleaning and instructed to maintain oral hygiene by tooth brushing alone for 3 months. After 3 months of brushing only, subjects were re‐examined and given another professional tooth cleaning. Having been matched for age and percentage of sites bleeding on probing, as determined at the initial examination, they were than randomly attached to one of three groups. One group, the control, continued to clean their teeth with only a toothbrush, while the other two groups used the toothbrush supplemented with the toothpick for inter proximal sub gingival cleaning. Both toothpick groups received identical instruction in toothpick technique, but one group was taught to use bleeding as an interpretive device for health. Three months later, clinical assessments indicated significantly less gingival bleeding for both toothpick groups as compared with the control (whose gingival health worsened). Although there was no significant difference between the final scores of the toothpick groups, only the group that used gingival bleeding as a sign of disease showed a significant improvement in gingival health ( P <0.003), and also had a fivefold higher rate of return of self‐report compliance cards. These results suggest that the use of gingival bleeding as a reinforcement mechanism should be considered as a strategy in oral home care instruction to promote compliance with recommended behavior.