A cluster randomized controlled study was carried out in chronic psychiatric wards of a general hospital in central Taiwan. Sixty-eight eligible male individuals admitted to 2 wards were randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. Participants in the experimental group underwent an oral health promotion program that consisted of biweekly group education sessions, and a 12-week individual behavioral modification for oral hygiene course. The participants in the control group received usual care only. Dental plaque (measured by the Plaque Control Index) was examined by a single dentist before and after the experiment.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
68
The group intervention consisted of: 1\. Group oral health education 2. Display of Bass tooth-brushing methods 3. Broadcasting of songs as tooth-brushing reminders; The individual interventions included: 1\. Instruction in the Bass tooth-brushing method, 2. Individual behavioral modification method
Dental Plaque Index
Plaque Control Index (PCI) developed by O'Leary et al. to score the primary outcome, plaque accumulation, on the surfaces of the teeth. The score was computed by the existence of plaque divided by all examined surfaces; a higher plaque index indicated poor oral hygiene. We calculated a person-level plaque score by averaging plaque scores for all teeth at each examination.
Time frame: 12-week
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