A Detailed Analysis of Oral Hygiene Habits of Patients with Cervical Dental Lesions

Objectives: Studying oral hygiene habits of patients with cervical dental lesions; identifying differences in dental health depending on characteristics of oral hygiene care.Materials and Methods: The study enrolled 272 patients being fully examined to diagnose cervical dental lesions: І – with а wedge-shaped defect (WSD), II – with erosion, III – with cervical caries (CC), IV – with a combination of cervical dental lesions, V – without any cervical dental lesions. The patients filled in the survey/questionnaire with information about their hygienic care. We identified Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth index (DMFT), Papillary bleeding index (PBI), papillary-marginal-alveolar index (PMA), Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHI-S), level of personal anxiety, presence of dentin hypersensitivity (DH), wear facets. Results: When brushing teeth twice daily or more often, patients of Group I had less DMFT; OHI-S indicators were lower in mixed toothbrush motions; when using whitening toothpaste, probability of wear facets often (p≤0.05). Application of pressure to a toothbrush was associated with level of personal anxiety; contributed to WSD development and increase in their number and PBI indicators (p<0.05). When brushing teeth after breakfast, the depth of lesions was less in patients of Group II (р=0.039). Probability of development of wear facets increased in subjects of Group III when duration of tooth brushing was three minutes or longer and PBI indicators increased; when flossing and brushing teeth for three minutes or longer, DH was diagnosed more while PMA indicators decreased when brushing teeth three or more times daily (p<0.05). Patients of Group IV flossed more aggressively and brushed in a circular motion less frequently than patients with CC (p<0.05). Flossing reduced probability of CC; dominance of mixed or circular toothbrush motions reduced probability of CC and associated lesions (p<0.05).Conclusions: Identified differences in oral hygiene habits of patients with cervical dental lesions are recommended to take into account when planning preventive measures.