TEACHING RATIONAL ORAL HYGIENE AND SOME INDICATORS OF THE DENTAL STATUS OF PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGES

Abstract

Maintaining good personal oral hygiene is an integral part of the prevention of dental caries and periodontal disease. Purpose of the study. To analyse indicators of oral hygiene, interdental hygiene, periodontal health and the severity of dental caries in individuals of different ages before and after training in proper hygiene. Materials and methods. The study involved 100 participants aged between 18 and 44 years. During the initial dental examination, the oral hygiene status of each patient was assessed using the OHI-S index, the level of interdental hygiene using the API index, the degree of gingival inflammation using the PMA index, and the severity of dental caries using the DMFT index. Each patient then underwent professional oral hygiene treatment, followed by the selection of personalised care products, instruction in toothbrushing techniques, and a supervised brushing session with skill correction. A follow-up examination was conducted one month later, during which the same indices were assessed. Results. The study revealed a statistically significant (p<0,05) improvement in the OHI-S hygiene index from 1,65±0,13 points to 1,17±0,14 points, as well as a reduction in the degree of gingival inflammation according to the PMA index from 39,5±2,5% to 32,1±2,2% (p<0,05). At the same time, the API interdental hygiene index showed non-significant (p>0,05) changes, with values of 62,5±2,7% before and 56,8±2,6% after training, respectively. The DMFT index also remained stable over the observation period (8,6±0,7 and 8,7±0,7, p>0.05). Conclusions. Training in individual hygiene is an effective method for improving oral hygiene and preventing inflammatory changes in the periodontium. At the same time, the cleaning of interdental areas requires an individualised approach, which should be taken into account when planning preventive programmes for people of different ages.