einstein (São Paulo). 15/set/2023;21:eAO0195.

Epidemiological evaluation of patient compliance regarding oral health and hygiene during the COVID-19 period

Antonia

Sinesi

, Valentino

Natoli

, Cinzia

Casu

, Savino

Cefola

, Ruggiero

Damato

, Roberta

Grassi

, Gianna Maria

Nardi

DOI: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2023AO0195

INTRODUCTION

Oral hygiene techniques must be performed not only to maintain oral health, but also systemic health.^(,) Home oral hygiene is important for periodontal health.⁽⁾ However, the frequency and type of oral hygiene maneuvers change considerably in various geographical areas. Differences in oral hygiene habits have been shown to be related to culture and geographic region. A recent study reported that 73-83% of schoolchildren in Norway, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Austria brushed their teeth twice daily; meanwhile, toothbrushing frequency was reported by only 19-46% of patients in Lithuania, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.⁽⁾ In Saudi Arabia, the frequency of dental hygiene is higher in women than in men.⁽⁾ In rural Indian areas, more than 40% of the population studied did not consider brushing to be essential in preventing oral diseases; moreover, a good portion of the population believed that professional oral procedures can deteriorate the teeth.⁽⁾ A survey performed on 300 people compared the habits of an Indian population with that of those from the Dominican Republic. According to this study, on an equal socio-economic basis, 55% of the interviewed Indian population used a toothbrush and approximately 58% used it at least twice a day, in contrast to those from the Dominican Republic, in which 94% use their toothbrush at least twice a day.⁽⁾ A study on a large sample of population from Kuwait (more than 1,950 participants) showed that approximately 62% brushed their teeth at least twice a day, while only 11% used dental floss and 33% used milwaki.⁽⁾

Returning to a European context, a study on 1,200 participants regarding oral hygiene habits revealed that 97% of Portuguese people used their toothbrush daily: 77% of women brush their teeth twice a day, but only 68% of men do.⁽⁾ Studies in a Polish population reported that approximately 80% performed oral hygiene once or twice a day⁽⁾ and 30% performed oral hygiene only once a day or less.⁽⁾ However, few studies on home hygiene habits on a population in conditions of isolation or rapid economic difficulty, such as the conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, are available. An Icelandic study evaluated the habits of 4,100 people between 2007 and 2009, which are the years of the country’s severe economic crisis. The results showed that previously, 96.8% of the participants performed daily oral hygiene and 40% used dental floss; however, during the crisis, the percentage increased to 97.4% and 43% respectively.⁽⁾ A significantly smaller study (300 participants) in Lithuania, which was performed during a period of economic reforms in the country, showed that the 35-44 year-old age group performed dental cleaning twice a day in 35% of cases, while in the 65-74 year-old age group, only 21% performed.⁽⁾ A previous study administered questionnaires in three different Italian universities (Palermo, Milan, Rome) and did not obtain particularly encouraging results especially on the use of dental floss among the Italian population.⁽⁾ Furthermore, epidemiological studies of this type seem to be aimed mainly at particular categories of patients (children, elderly, patients with particular systemic pathologies, etc.). Few data are also collected on the duration of hygiene maneuvers, lingual cleaning, and differences between a certain historical period and another. Thus, this study aimed to report the values on home oral hygiene habits during the pandemic and their difference in comparison with previous oral hygiene habits.

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