Dental hygiene work in a clinical trial

• Published in: International journal of dental hygiene Vol. 6; no. 3; pp. 238 - 243
• Main Authors: Luís, HS, Morgado, I, Assunção, V, Bernardo, MF, Leroux, B, Martin, MD, DeRouen, TA, Leitão, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2008; Blackwell
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cariostatic Agents - therapeutic use; Child; Children & youth; Clinical trials; Dental Care for Children; Dental Caries - prevention & control; Dental Devices, Home Care; dental hygiene; Dental Plaque - prevention & control; Dental Plaque Index; Dental Prophylaxis; Dental research; Dentistry; Epidemiology. Vaccinations; Facial bones, jaws, teeth, parodontium: diseases, semeiology; Feeding Behavior; Female; Fluorides, Topical - therapeutic use; Follow-Up Studies; General aspects; Health Education, Dental - methods; Health Promotion; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Mercury; Motivation; Mouthwashes - therapeutic use; Non tumoral diseases; Oral Hygiene; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Patient Education as Topic; Patient safety; Periodontal Diseases - prevention & control; Pit and Fissure Sealants - therapeutic use; school children; School Dentistry; Toothbrushing; Human; Health promotion; Clinical trial; dental hygiene; Tooth; Dentistry; Child; Hygiene; School environment; school children
• ISSN: 1601-5029; 1601-5037
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-5037.2007.00270.x

:  Dental hygiene activities were developed as part of a randomized clinical trial designed to assess the safety of low‐level mercury exposure from dental amalgam restorations. Along with dental‐hygiene clinical work, a community programme was implemented after investigators noticed the poor oral hygiene habits of participants, and the need for urgent action to minimize oral health problems in the study population. Objectives:  Clinical and community activity goal was to promote oral health and prevent new disease. Community activities involved participants and their fellow students and were aimed at providing education on oral health in a school environment. Methods:  Dental hygienists developed clinical work with prophylaxis, sealants application and topical fluoride and implemented the community programme with in‐class sessions on oral health themes. Twice a month fluoride mouthrinses and bi‐annual tooth brushing instructional activity took place. Participation at dental‐hygiene activities, sealed teeth with no need of restoration and dental‐plaque‐index were measures used to evaluate success of the programme for the participants. Results:  Improvement in dental hygiene is shown by the decrease in dental plaque index scores (P < 0.0001); also sealants integrity is achieved in 86.3% of teeth. 888 (13.7%) teeth with sealants had to be restored or were lost. Children participated actively on dental hygiene activities. Teachers became aware of the problem and included oral‐health in school curricula. Conclusion:  Dental hygiene activities have shown to be helpful to promote dental hygiene, promote oral health and to provide school‐age children with education on habits that will be important for their future good health.