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THE EFFECT OF TOOTHBRUSHING FREQUENCY ON ORAL HYGIENE AND GINGIVAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLCHILDREN: REASSESSMENT AFTER TWO AND ONE‐HALF YEARS
Author(s) -
Barenie James T.,
Leske Gary S.,
Ripa Louis W.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-7325.1976.tb02834.x
Subject(s) - oral health , dentistry , medicine , dental health , dental hygiene , public health , family medicine , gerontology , library science , nursing , computer science
An epidemiological survey of brushing frequency, oral hygiene (OHI-S), and gingival condition (GI modified) was conducted on 290, 12- to 15-year-old schoolschildren. The purpose of the survey was to compare the clinical findings with the children's states frequency of toothbrushing. Since the same children had participated in a similar study approximately 2 1/2 years earlier, it was also of interest to determine what effect, if any, a change in reported brushing habits might exert over the oral status of the children. As in a previous study, the stated level of brushing activity was high. Approximately 46 percent of the children claimed to brush twice a day, and 40 percent once a day. The poorest oral hygiene and highest level of gingivitis were associated with the group of children that claimed to brush less than once a day. In general, the children that claimed to brush their teeth more frequently had lower mean OHI-S and GI scores indicating less oral debris and gingivitis. For males-females combined the optimal effect on oral hygiene and gingival condition, on a statistical basis, was detected at the level of twice-daily brushing. Increased brushing frequency beyond this level did not produce significant improvement in OHI-S or GI scores.