Effects of Continuous Oral Health Care on Periodontal Disease in Adults in Jeju Island, South Korea

Objective: This preventive care program aimed to determine the improvement of periodontal disease and self-care ability of adults with gingivitis and periodontal disease when they received professional oral care and personalised oral care education on a regular basis.Methods: A total of 91 subjects (34 males and 57 females) underwent oral examinations (phase contrast microscopy, halitosis, periodontal pocket measurement, gingival bleeding test, and oral hygiene performance index test) before treatment.Non-surgical periodontal treatment (scaling, root planing, polishing) and professional oral care (Watanabe method, gingival massage) were performed according to the periodontal status (periodontal pockets 3 mm or less, 4-5 mm, 6 mm or more). Results:The results of the pocket depth index showed that the prophylactic periodontal treatment (grade 1) and comprehensive periodontal treatment (grade 3) groups had the highest pocket depth maximum and average pocket depth average indices in tooth 16, and the values were statistically significantly reduced after treatment (p＜0.05).The analysis of the gingival bleeding index for all subjects showed a statistically significant decrease in the gingival bleeding index from the first treatment with a score of 2.88, 1.41 at the second treatment, 0.76 at the third treatment, and 0.34 at the fourth treatment (p＜0.05). Conclusion:The results of this study showed that the periodontal status of the subjects was improved with a significant increase in the bacterial plaque control scores and a significant improvement in the periodontal status after the implementation of personalised professional oral care considering the characteristics of each group and repeated oral education and management.