Self-check with plaque disclosing solution improves oral hygiene in schoolchildren living in a children’s home

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of an oral hygiene program for children living in a children’s home has been reported. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have evaluated the possible effects of self-checking of oral health among children residing in a children’s home. The objective of this study was to examine if self-checking using plaque disclosing solution improves oral hygiene in schoolchildren living in a children’s home. METHODS: We enrolled nine schoolchildren (six girls) without untreated decayed teeth living in a children’s home in Japan. This preliminary study was designed as a 5-month program comprising group and individual instructions and self-checking using plaque disclosing solution. Paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for statistical analysis to evaluate the change of Plaque Control Record (PCR) and Patient Hygiene Performance (PHP). RESULTS: The mean PCR significantly decreased to 38.7% after 3 months of self-checking using disclosing solution compared with that before self-checking (i.e., at 1 month) (60.7%) (P < 0.01). PHP score significantly decreased to 1.4 at 4 months compared with that at baseline (2.8) and at 1 month (2.7) (P = 0.012 and P = 0.018). Improvement of oral hygiene status was evaluated according to the ratio of PCR at 4 months to that at 1 month. The average improvement ratio was 0.4 ± 0.35 (range: 0.0–1.0). Significant correlation was not found between improvement rate and school grade (r = 0.63, P = 0.070). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that self-checking with disclosing solution may be effective in improving oral hygiene among schoolchildren at a children’s home.