This study aimed to evaluate gender differences in oral health behavior and general health habits in adults. The subjects were 207 males and 196 females aged 20-64 yrs who were public officials in the city or town administrations in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The questionnaire survey included three items: (1) self assessment of oral health status, (2) oral health behavior and (3) general health habits. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test for differences of responses between males and females. The proportion of subjects with cognition of symptoms of oral disease ranged from 14.3 to 23.0%. The percentage of those who had not visited a dentist in the last year were 52.7% for males and 36.7% for females (p < 0.01). Subjects who brushed their teeth almost every day at bed time were 60.9% of males and 88.8% of females (p < 0.01). A comparison of the numbers of positive responses regarding general health habits found no differences in the distribution of general health habits score between males and females. Examining the relationship between oral health behavior and general health habits revealed that males with general habit high scores tended to have positive oral hygiene behavior. These results support the thesis that gender specificities in oral health depend on individual attitudes to oral health and dental utilization. In addition, understanding the cognitive factors of males and females would accelerate dental approaches to modifying oral health behavior of both groups, thus contributing to lifelong health maintenance.

Small salivary phosphoproteins – statherin (ST) and histatin 1 (HT1) – are found in the acquired enamel pellicle which modulates Streptococcus mutans adhesion onto dental enamel. However, their roles in S. mutans adhesion onto enamel surfaces are still undefined. The aim of this study was to investigate whether and how ST and HT1 affect (i) S. mutans adhesion and (ii) the adsorption of S. mutans adhesion-promoting salivary proteins onto hydroxyapatite (HA) in vitro. We fractionated human parotid saliva by adsorption to HA and further by gel filtration chromatography. Adhesion of [³H]-labeled S. mutans strain MT8148 onto sintered HA plates was promoted significantly (>10-fold) by high-molecular weight glycoprotein fraction (HMWGP), but not by purified ST or HT1. More interestingly, promotion of S. mutans adhesion onto HA by HMWGP was significantly reduced by adding purified ST or HT1 to HMWGP. [³H]-labeled S. mutans adhesion on HA was positively correlated to the [¹⁴C]-labeled HMWGP adsorption onto HA, which was also reduced by the addition of purified ST and HT1. Synthetic peptides corresponding to ST and HT1 reduced the parotid saliva-promoted S. mutans adhesion. However, removal of the negative charges in the N-terminal domains of ST and HT1 diminished their inhibitory effects on S. mutans adhesion promoted by parotid saliva. We conclude that ST and HT1 competitively inhibit the adsorption of salivary HMWGP, and thereby reduce S. mutans adhesion onto HA surfaces.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the use of a chitosan mouthrinse could be efficacious in reducing plaque and saliva mutans streptococci level. A randomized crossover clinical trial was performed to evaluate the effect of a rinse with 0.5% chitosan for 14 days on plaque formation and mutans streptococci counts in saliva. Twenty-four subjects were randomly assigned either the chitosan rinse or a placebo rinse in addition to their usual oral hygiene procedures. Following the baseline examination, each subject was given a prophylaxis. They were instructed to rinse with 20 ml of the mouthrinse twice daily for 30 seconds. Plaque scores were measured after a 14-day rinsing period, and mutans streptococci counts in saliva were also determined at the start and the end of the each rinsing period. The procedures were repeated with the alternate rinse after a 14-day washout period. Rinsing with 0.5% chitosan was significantly more effective in plaque reduction using the Quigley & Hein Index (chitosan: 1.44, placebo: 1.62, pϽ0.001) and Plaque Severity Index (chitosan: 0.138, placebo: 0.186, p‫.)300.0ס‬ The mutans streptococci count in saliva was less after the chitosan rinsing ( 2 cal ‫,15.31ס‬ p‫)530.0ס‬ than placebo rinsing. In conclusion, the chitosan rinsing was effective in reducing plaque formation and counts of salivary mutans streptococci after a 14-day rinsing period. These results would appear to warrant further investigation into the potential value of chitosan as an effective anti-plaque agent for use in oral hygiene products.

Wehave attempted to develop an intraoral method which can measure the textural changes in foodstuffs during chewing by using electromyography (EMG). Forty-three foodstuffs with variable textural attributes were used. Total chewing energy for these foodstuffs during chewing varied from 3 to 108 for the masseter muscle and 13 to 154 for the digastric muscle, respectively. Large differences in total chewing energy could be observed by EMGamong the foodstuffs. The chewing energy for many foodstuffs revealed distinct differences throughout the chewing process. Foodstuffs could be categorized into six groups according to the changing patterns of chewing energy. EMGdata and the number of strokes were influenced by masticatory index and salivary flow rate. Vegetables and Fruits Rawcarrot Pickled radish Apple ("Sun fuji") Confectioneries Toddler biter biscuit Marie biscuit Crisp bread Rice cracker Hardtack Caramel Toffee Kelp candy Gummy candy Hakodate High-Sea Fishery Co., Inc.

We examined the present conditions of oral health care in order to contribute towards an effective system to provide oral health care for homebound elderly in Japan. A questionnaire was mailed to homebound elderly subjects (n=908) and returned by mail. A 73.6% response was achieved. The questionnaire was designed to elicit information with respect to the general condition of the subjects and independence of oral health care. About 70% of the subjects were chair- or bed-bound. Among all subjects, 37.6% required partial or full assistance on toothbrushing, 55.6% on cleaning dentures and 46.7% on eating. The degree of oral health care tended to be poor for chair- or bed-bound elderly compared with independent or house-bound elderly. Homebound elderly with lower Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL) required more support for oral health care compared with elderly with higher ADL.

The purpose of this study was to determine the risk factors for root surface caries in the elderly and to evaluate the factors associated with gingival recession, one of the main risk factors for root surface caries. A total of 153 elderly people (35 men, 118 women) aged between 60 and 94 years ‫5.7ע5.37(‬ years) were surveyed. All participants were relatively healthy elderly who did not need special care in their daily lives. The survey was conducted in Chiba prefecture, Japan, and oral examinations and a questionnaire with face-to-face interviews were also carried out. Correlation analysis revealed that number of present teeth (pϽ0.001), gingival recession (pϽ0.001), bleeding on probing (pϽ0.001) and presence or absence of dentures (pϽ0.05) were significantly correlated with number of root surface caries. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis for root surface caries revealed that the risk factors for increasing numbers of teeth with root surface caries were number of teeth with gingival recession (pϽ0.0001), bleeding on probing (p‫)7100.0ס‬ and self-reported dry mouth (p‫.)4540.0ס‬ Sex (pϽ0.05), number of present teeth (pϽ0.001), bleeding on probing (pϽ0.01), the presence or absence of systemic disease (pϽ0.01), dentures (pϽ0.01), drinking alcohol (pϽ0.01) and smoking (pϽ0.01) were significantly correlated with amount of gingival recession by correlation analysis. Moreover, the risk factors for increasing number of teeth with gingival recession were living in an institution (p‫,)4420.0ס‬ number of present teeth (pϽ0.0001) and smoking (p‫,)7300.0ס‬ as determined by stepwise multiple linear regression analysis for gingival recession.

Initial attachment of the cariogenic Streptococcus mutans onto dental enamel is largely promoted by the adsorption of specific salivary proteins on enamel surface. Some phosphorylated salivary proteins were found to reduce S. mutans adhesion by competitively inhibiting the adsorption of S. mutans-binding salivary glycoproteins to hydroxyapatite (HA). The aim of this study was to develop antiadherence compounds for preventing dental biofilm development. We synthesized phosphorylated polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivatives and examined the possibility of surface pretreatment with them for preventing S. mutans adhesion in vitro and dental biofilm formation in vivo. Pretreatment of the HA surface with methacryloyloxydecyl phosphate (MDP)-PEG prior to saliva incubation hydrophilized the surface and thereby reduced salivary protein adsorption and saliva-promoted bacterial attachment to HA. However, when MDP-PEG was added to the saliva-pretreated HA (S-HA) surface, its inhibitory effect on bacterial binding was completely diminished. S. mutans adhesion onto S-HA was successfully reduced by treatment of the surface with pyrophosphate (PP), which desorbs salivary components from S-HA. Treatment of S-HA surfaces with MDP-PEG plus PP completely inhibited salivapromoted S. mutans adhesion even when followed by additional saliva treatment. Finally, mouthwash with MDP-PEG plus PP prevented de novo biofilm development after thorough teeth cleaning in humans compared to either water or PP alone. We conclude that MDP-PEG plus PP has the potential for use as an antiadherence agent that prevents dental biofilm development.Dental plaque, a complex microbial biofilm, is the primary etiologic factor in dental caries. Colonization of enamel surfaces by the cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans is thought to be initiated by attachment to a saliva-derived conditioning film, the acquired enamel pellicle (9). The acquired enamel pellicle is formed largely by adsorption of heterogeneous salivary proteins (1, 18) onto dental enamel (ϳ98% [wt/wt] hydroxyapatite [HA]) and promotes the adhesion of S. mutans by specific (2, 17) and nonspecific (4) mechanisms.Saliva contains a multitude of proteins that contribute to oral microbial ecology and biofilm formation (6,16,32). A variety of salivary proteins have been shown to modulate bacterial adhesion onto HA surfaces in vitro. Adsorption of specific salivary proteins, such as acidic proline-rich proteins (8) and agglutinin (3), promotes the adhesion of S. mutans onto HA surfaces by providing ligands for bacterial attachment. Many studies thus far have suggested that an initial bacterial adhesion promoted by salivary protein adsorption onto the enamel surface contributes to facilitate dental biofilm development.Recently, we reported the clinical relevance of saliva-promoted S. mutans adhesion in both de novo dental biofilm development and caries experience (29). Dental biofilm formation after thorough teeth cleaning was positively correlated with both salivary glycoprotein content and S. mutans a...

The mean daily fluoride intake in infants was estimated on the basis of their intake of commercial foods for infants in Japan and evaluated in order to establish the effectiveness and safety criteria for water fluoridation, which is practiced as a preventive measure for dental caries suitable in life stages from children to the elderly. Based upon the intakes of foods for infants, the mean daily fluoride intake was estimated to be 0.166 mg in infants aged 3-4 months, 0.202 mg in those aged 5-6 months, and 0.266 mg in those aged 7-8 months. The mean daily fluoride intake per kg of body weight at these ages was in the range of 0.023-0.029 mg/kg, which was about half of the standard daily fluoride intake for infants and children advocated by Ophaug et al., as 0.05-0.07 mg/kg.From our results, the daily fluoride intake of infants from foods in Japan is estimated to be equivalent to or lower than the values of previous reports in non-fluoridated areas. Consequently, our data support the argument that water fluoridation and the appropriate use of fluoride for dental caries prevention in Japan are needed on the basis of scientific criteria in terms of fluoride exposure related to food intake during tooth formation.