One Year Observation of Periodontal Health after Toothbrushing Instruction in a Community

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of toothbrushing instruction on the periodontal health in a community. The area is 30.5km2 and has a population of 14, 000.Ninety-five inhabitants (mean age: 47.6±9.0) participated in this study. Oral examinations were made regarding gingival inflammatory indices, tooth mobility, Oral Hygiene Index, and CPITN scores at baseline, after 1 and 2 months, and 1 year. Each time, the subjects were instructed in the toothpick method of toothbrushing intraorally. They were required to fill out questionnaires to evaluate the oral health behavior and improvement of the subjective symptoms at the final visit.Significant improvement in the CPITN code was observed during a year. Gingival inflammatory indices improved at 1 and 2 months, but slight relapse of gingival conditions were observed in some subjects. Comparison between the relapsed group and the continuously improving group for a year, revealed that the relapsed group had a significantly lower prevalence of gingival inflammation at baseline.The questionnaire showed the subjects' great satisfaction with the toothbrushing instruction. About 90% of them indicated positive improvement of dental health behavior. Forty percent of the participants reported improvement of bleeding gums and 18% improvement of bad breath.These results suggested that this dental health education program was effective in the community and that inhabitants affected by periodontal disease were more easily motivated than others.