1992 Volume 34 Issue 1 Pages 244-254
In a previous study, we have shown that examination of interdental gingival inflammation using wooden interdental cleaners correlates to Bleeding on Probing (BOP, r=0.557), Probing Depth (PD, r=0.415), Gingival Index (GI, r=0.523) and Gingival Crevicular Fluid (GCF, r=0.383). In this study, the interdental cleaning efficacy and reduction of interdental gingival inflammation by routine usage of wooden interdental cleaners were studied.
18 new patients with gingivitis or periodontitis participated in this study. These patients were all instructed on scrubbing method toothbrushing and randomly divided into the Brushing group (9) which restricted their cleaning to brushing only, and the Stimulating Group (9) which brushed and used the wooden cleaners for interdental cleaning. The cleaning efficacy and healing of gingival inflammation were evaluated at initial, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 6 weeks by BOP, PD, GI, GCF, Interdental Plaque Evaluation (IPE) and Bleeding on Stimulating (BOS). IPE was developed for more precise evaluation of interdental plaque adherence.
As a result, concerning IPE, both Brushing group and Stimulating group showed significant improvements at segments Buccal (B) and Lingual (L) (p< 0.05), but at segments Proximo-Buccal (PB), Contact (C) and Proximo-Lingual (PL) only the Stimulating group showed significant improvements (p< 0.05). Concerning BOP, both groups showed significant improvements at segments B and L (p< 0.05), but only the Stimulating group showed significant improvements at segments PB and PL (p< 0.05). Concerning PD, both groups showed tendencies of improvements at segments B and L. At segments PB and PL, the Stimulating group showed significant improvements (p<0.05) at 2 and 4 weeks but the Brushing group showed no significant changes throughout the experiment. Concerning BOS, the Stimulating group showed significant improvements from the second week, but the Brushing group showed no significant changes throughout the experiment. Concerning GI and GCF, the Stimulating group showed significant improvement at 6 weeks (p<0.05), but no significant changeswere observed in the Brushing group. As a conclusion, it was shown that interdental stimulating is effective in interdental cleaning and in the reduction of interdental inflammation.
