부산대학교 도서관

Objectives: The space and facilities where elementary school students can brush their teeth after lunch were built in two elementary schools in Deajeon city 18 months ago, and this was supported by government funds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dental caries inhibition effect of the group toothbrushing program by comparing the students in the program with the students in the schoolbased oral health clinic program and a control group by using the dental caries index and the dental plaque index. Methods: 9-year-old students in the tooth brushing classroom of Daejeon Daeam Elementary School were the study group. The control group and the school-based oral health clinic group were selected in a similar economical, social, geographical area. The dental caries surveys were based on the WHO criteria and the dental plaque surveys are based on the Turesky Modification of the Quingley-Hein Index, and these surveys were carried out in 2009. ANOVA, ANCOVA and Kruskal-Wallis analyses were used for comparisons among the groups. Results: The mean DMFT scores were 1.21, 0.84 and 1.28 in the school-based toothbrushing group, the school-based oral health clinic group and the control group, respectively(p>0.05). When adjusted by the mean sealant teeth, the mean DMFT scores were 1.08, 0.91 and 1.32 in the school-based toothbrushing group, the school-based oral health clinic group and the control group, respectively(p>0.05). In the children who were receiving sealants, prevention of dental caries was observed in the school-based toothbrushing group and school-based oral health clinic. But, the dental indexes for dental caries were not different for the children who didn`t have any sealants. The dental plaque index in school-based toothbrushing group was the lowest(p<0.05). Conclusions: If the school-based toothbrushing program is instituted side by side with the sealants program, it can have an effect to prevent dental caries. It is thought that the school-based toothbrushing program can help prevent periodontal disease and decrease the dental plaque index.