Hospitalization Increases Plaque and Gingivitis A person’s daily routine changes significantly when hospitalized, even for a short time. Stress, anxiety and the fear of pain and discomfort may make the body more fragile. Physical limitation of the patient or even the hospital environment can impact otherwise regular healthy oral habits. Researchers at the Federal University of Piau in Brazil observed patients in two hospitals for changes in their plaque and gingivitis levels during a short stay. Patients were in one private and one public hospital and no subjects were in intensive care. Both demographic and socioeconomic data were collected from each of the 162 patients. One dentist with an assistant holding a flashlight carried out all the exams. Patients were not told of their oral health status and no oral hygiene instructions were given. Data was collected from four sites per tooth for plaque and gingivitis. There were four observation periods based on the number of days in the hospital: three, seven, 14 and 21 days. Sixteen patients were observed throughout the four observation times. Neither hospital had an oral health protocol for patients to follow. Daily toothbrushing was reduced by 72 percent of the patients, despite 83 percent reporting no barrier to daily oral hygiene. Plaque levels increased at each time point, compared to baseline. Gingivitis scores increased significantly at days 7 and 21. There may have been pre-existing systemic conditions that contributed to the increases in plaque and gingivitis.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 16:20:59 +0000
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