Prevalence of Tongue Cleaning Using a Toothbrush: A Questionnaire Survey in Fukui Prefecture, Japan

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the tongue cleaning habits using toothbrushes among outpatients of the University of Fukui Hospital and a private hospital in Fukui Prefecture. METHODS: We administered a questionnaire survey to volunteers detailing tongue cleaning habits using toothbrushes. The content of the questions in this survey were as follows: gender, age, frequency of tongue cleaning, portion of tongue cleaning, and purposes of tongue cleaning. RESULTS: We had 1,014 volunteers of various ages participating in this study. Regarding the frequency of tongue cleaning, 187 (18.4%) of all participants replied, “Every day”, and 346 (34.1%) replied, “Sometimes”. Regarding tongue cleaning of the 533 participants with active tongue cleaning habits, 242 (45.4%) participants replied, “The center of the dorsum of the tongue”, and 274 (51.4%) replied, “The entire tongue”. When analyzing the purpose of tongue cleaning, 346 (64.9%) participants replied, “To remove the tongue stain”, 192 (36.0%) participants replied, “To remove the tongue coating”, and 240 (45.0%) participants replied, “To manage halitosis”. CONCLUSIONS: This study clarified that a wide range of age groups in the nonhospitalized general public practiced tongue cleaning habits using a toothbrush for various purposes.