Abstract
The purpose of this study was to provide basic information for improving oral health and dental hygiene through comprehensive dental hygiene care. The subjects in this study were 54 patients who had been treated for 4 weeks in clinic of the Dental Hygiene Department of G University under comprehensive dental hygiene control and care and measured their oral condition, intensity of oral malodor, Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (S-OHI), and Modified Personal Hygiene Performance Index (PHP-M), and surveyed their oral health behavior and oral health consciousness. The results of the study were as follows: 1. The intensity of malodor decreased by 16.49ppb from 75.33ppb on the first visit to 50.84ppb on the last visit when the comprehensive dental hygiene care had been finished. 2. As to change in S-OHI according to gender between the first visit and the last visit for comprehensive dental hygiene care, S-OHI decreased from 2.89 on the first visit to 1.16 on the last visit, and the difference was statistically highly significant. 3. As to change in PHP-M index by tooth according to gender and age between the first visit and the last visit, PHP-M index of the first 6 teeth decreased very significantly from 0.50 on the first visit to 0.34 on the last visit. 4. As a whole, significant improvement was observed in every tooth. According to gender and age, PHP-M index for Tooth No. 26, 36 and 32 decreased significantly in men and women, and those aged under 30 and those aged 30 or over, but for Tooth No. 13 and 15 and 44 it decreased significantly only in men and those aged 30 or over, and for Tooth No. 44 only in men. As presented above, the oral health behavior and oral health consciousness of the visitors to the oral prophylaxis practice room are very important, and it is necessary to enhance their interest in and knowledge of how to improve oral health. Furthermore, comprehensive dental hygiene care required for improving the visitors' oral health.