Validity assessment of quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital (QLF-D) for the dental plaque scoring system: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: BMC oral health Vol. 18; no. 1; p. 187
• Main Authors: Lee, Jong-Bin, Choi, Da-Hye, Mah, Yon-Joo, Pang, Eun-Kyoung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 20.11.2018; BMC
• Subjects: Biofilms; Bleeding on probing; Clinical medicine; Correlation analysis; Cross-sectional studies; Dental plaque; Disease; Education; Gingiva; Gingival index; Light; Light effects; Mandible; Maxilla; Methods; Mouth; Oral hygiene; Patient hygiene performance index; Patients; Plaque index; Probing pocket depth; Quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital; Teeth; Validity; Dental plaque; Gingival index; Bleeding on probing; Quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital; Patient hygiene performance index; Probing pocket depth
• ISSN: 1472-6831; 1472-6831
• DOI: 10.1186/s12903-018-0654-8

The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between the dental plaque indices measured using quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital (QLF-D) and conventional clinical indices that assess gingival status. From among the patients who visited Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, 33 adults in their 20s who had relatively even teeth were selected for full-mouth QLF-D imaging. The images were used to analyze the QLF-D score and the QLF-D ΔR score. As clinical indices, the gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), and patient hygiene performance (PHP) index were measured. The correlations between the QLF-D score and QLF-D ΔR score and each clinical index were analyzed. Analyses were performed comparing the indices of maxillary and mandibular teeth, the teeth on right and left sides of the mouth, anterior and posterior teeth, and buccal and lingual surfaces of each tooth. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted (p < 0.05). The mean full-mouth QLF-D score was highly correlated with the GI, BOP, PPD, PHP index (p < 0.01). The mean full-mouth QLF-D score showed the highest correlation with GI (r = 0.749) and the lowest correlation with PPD (r = 0.683). The correlations between the QLF-D score were higher in the mandible than in the maxilla and in the anterior teeth than in the posterior teeth, while no significant differences were seen between the buccal and lingual surfaces of tooth. This study concluded that the correlations between the plaque indices measured for each tooth surface area using QLF-D and the clinical indices assessed were significantly high, and it allowed objective determination of the gingival status. Therefore, the plaque index measured using QLF-D may be used as an alternative to supplement the shortcomings of conventional clinical indices for educating patients about plaque control and continued patient oral care.