The present investigation was designed to develop effective dental health practices in adults at their place of work. Their periodontal condition was examined by CPITN, and the relationships between it and their brushing habits, frequency of dental examination, and subjective symptoms of their gingiva were determined in both male and female subjects. The results are as follows:
1. Females needed less dental treatment of their periodontal tissues than males; the difference was statistically significant in the age groups of 30-40 and 45-65.
2. In all age groups, females brushed their teeth more times daily than males: females brushed an average of over three times daily, and few of them brushed less than once daily. The difference between females and males was statistically significant. The frequency of daily brushing by all of the adults in the present survey was higher than that found by the Ministry of Health and Welfare dental disease survey conducted in 1981.
3. In all age groups the periodontal condition was better in subjects who brushed three times a day than in those who brushed only once daily. These results suggest the importance of good tooth-brushing habits for a good periodontal condition.
4. Employees in businesses that provided frequent dental examinations had healtheir periodontal tissues than those in businesses that provided only one dental examination. This tendency was the same even when the data were categorized by sex or region.
5. There was a relationship between the condition of periodontal tissues and subjective symptoms of gingiva obtained from questionaires. The periodontal tissue of participants who described subjective gingival symptoms was in worse condition than that of those who never felt any gingival abnormality, and the difference in periodontal condition between the two groups was significant.
These findings suggest that dental health practices conducted regularly are important for adults.
