Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this observational study was to investigate the relationship between tongue coating (thickness [Tc] and surface discoloration [Td]) and gender, plaque, gingivitis (bleeding on marginal probing [BOMP] and bleeding on pocket probing [BOPP]) and tongue cleaning behaviour. Materials and Methods: A total of 336 participants were screened for this cross-sectional study, from which 268 (150 male, 118 female) were found to be eligible. Aspects of tongue coating were visually assessed. Additionally, BOMP, BOPP and the plaque index (PI) were scored. To ascertain the tongue cleaning behaviour, the Oral Hygiene Behavior questionnaire was used. Results: Most tongue coating was found at the posterior sections of the tongue surface. A thin coating and white discoloration were most prevalent as highest score for both males (92.7%) and females (87.4%), as well as white discoloration for the whole group of participants (50.2%). A gender difference was observed for TC and Td (P <.001). Analysis did not reveal a relationship between Tc and PI and between Td and PI. Also, no relation was detected between tongue cleaning behaviour and Tc or Td. However, tongue cleaning was associated with lower BOMP and BOPP scores. Conclusion: BOMP, BOPP or PI score did not appear to be linked to Tc and Td. A significant gender difference was found for Tc and Td. Self-reported tongue cleaning behaviour was associated with slightly lower BOMP and BOPP scores.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 62-72 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | International Journal of Dental Hygiene |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2020 |
Funding
Funding information The conduct of the clinical part of this project was performed by the Department of Periodontology of ACTA and partly financed by ACTA Dental Research BV (ADR). ADR has received funding from Top Institute Food and Nutrition (TIFN), a public-private partnership on precompetitive research in food and nutrition. The public partners are responsible for the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish and preparation of the manuscript. The private partners have contributed to the project through regular discussion. The authors want to thank all colleagues that worked on the research project ‘Estimating the boundaries for a healthy oral ecosystem in young individuals' and specially Daniëlle Ekkelboom (DE) and Esther Martin (EM) for the clinical assessments and Bart Keijser as initiator.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| ACTA Dental Research BV | |
| Department of Periodontology of ACTA | |
| Top Institute Food and Nutrition |