Self-reported oral hygiene practices with emphasis on frequency of tooth brushing

Abstract

The objective of the study was to characterize self-reported oral hygiene practices among Mexican older adults aged ≥60 years, and to measure the association between frequency of tooth brushing and a set of sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and dental variables. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 139 older adults aged ≥60 years in Pachuca, Mexico. A questionnaire and a clinical dental examination were administered to identify specific variables. We determined frequency of tooth brushing (or cleaning of dentures or prostheses) and use of toothpaste, mouthwash, and dental floss among respondents. Non-parametric testing was performed for statistical analysis and a multivariate logistic regression model was generated with Stata 11 software to determine frequency of tooth brushing. In our study sample, 53.2% of participants reported brushing their teeth at least once a day, 50.4% always using toothpaste, 16.5% using mouthwash and 3.6% using floss for their oral hygiene. In general, younger and female respondents used oral hygiene aids more than the others. Our multivariate model yielded an association ( P < .05) between tooth brushing at least once daily and the following variables: having functional dentition (OR = 12.60), lacking health insurance (OR = 3.72), being retired/pensioned (OR = 4.50), and suffering from a chronic disease (OR = 0.43). The older adults in our sample exhibited deficient oral hygiene behaviors. The results suggest certain socioeconomic inequalities in oral health. The findings of this study should be considered when designing dental care instructions for older adults.

Tooth Loss and Associated Factors in Mexican Older Adults in Nursing Homes: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

“…Overall, institutionalized older adults have poor oral hygiene [ 4 , 5 ]. In Mexico, a study of 139 persons ≥ 60 years old found that only 39.3% of residents in a public nursing home reported brushing their teeth at least once a day [ 34 ].…”

“…A study carried out in Taiwan among adults aged over 65 demonstrated that having good oral hygiene practices, including regular tooth brushing, was associated with having more remaining teeth [ 38 ]. Oral hygiene practices are essential to prevent oral diseases, keep teeth in the mouth, and maintain good oral health [ 4 , 34 , 36 , 37 ]. Besides, it is necessary to continuously train personnel to perform tasks related to oral care and caries prevention with the use of silver diamine fluoride [ 35 ].…”

“…Daily tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste is effective for dental biofilm control [35]. With the use of toothbrush and dental floss, it is possible to remove dental biofilm mechanically, while with toothpaste and mouthwash, it is possible to perform chemical control of dental biofilm [34][35][36][37].…”

Factores de virulencia de los componentes de Porphyromona gingivalis: una revisión narrativa

“…Por lo que las medidas deben estar encaminadas a la reducción del principal agente etiológico en la aparición de las enfermedades bucales, el biofilm. El mantenimiento del equilibrio de la microbiota bucal es la forma más sencilla de prevenir las enfermedades bucales (29), a través de acciones costo efectivas como lo es el cepillado dental (11,(30)(31)(32).…”

Factors predicting different times for brushing teeth during the day: multilevel analyses

“…[10,11] Additionally, they only examined individual-level factors based on single-level analysis without considering contextual factors, [12] or distinguished between toothbrushing at speci c times of the day. [13,14] Accordingly, our research aims are as follows. First, we investigate what individual-and contextual-level factors predict brushing behavior after lunch versus after dinner.…”