Effectiveness of verbal, verbal-written and video instructions on gingival health of patients with fixed appliances

• Main Authors: Cheong, Joo Ming, M. Ashaari, Norul Madihah, Mohamad Yusoff, Razan Hayani, Tolos, Siti Marponga
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SciDoc Publishers 2022
• Subjects: RK Dentistry
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/100871/7/100871_Effectiveness%20of%20verbal%2C%20verbal-written.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/100871/; https://scidoc.org/articlepdfs/IJDOS/IJDOS-2377-8075-09-402.pdf; http://dx.doi.org/10.19070/2377-8075-220001058
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

Background: Orthodontic treatment causes detrimental effects on periodontal health due to the accumulation of dental plaque. This problem can be prevented by implementing effective oral hygiene instructions (OHI). Aim: To compare the effectiveness between verbal, verbal-written and video methods of OHI on the gingival health of patients with fixed appliances. The best method in providing OHI to patients wearing fixed appliances was also assessed. Materials and Methods: 39 patients with a mean age of 16.9 wearing upper and lower fixed appliances were divided into three OHI groups (verbal, verbal-written and video) with five minutes standardized time allocation for each technique. Gingival health was assessed using plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and bleeding on probing (BOP). The mean percentage difference between pre- and post-OHI was calculated and analysed after 6 weeks. Data were analyzed using paired sample t-test and one-way ANOVA. Results: All periodontal parameters showed a reduction in their mean % in all OHI groups after 6 weeks, with significant decrease in verbal-written and video groups (p<0.05). Verbal group showed significant reduction for PI after 6 weeks (p=0.012). Overall, there was no significant difference between the effectiveness of the three OHI groups in the mean % reduction of PI, GI and BOP. Conclusions: Whilst verbal method was effective in improving the PI, verbal-written and video methods were effective in improving all aspects of gingival health (PI, GI and BOP) in patients wearing fixed appliances. However, there was no single best method in delivering OHI to patients with fixed appliances.