食物の嗜好と歯肉の健康に関する疫学的研究

A survey was conducted among populations of junior and senior high school pupils residing in Kitakyushu city on several envionmental factors that would affect the oral health status of younger people. The subjects were requested to fill in the quetionaire which was designed for analysis of possible correlations between factor such as preference of foods and other dietary habits and the health of gingiva and some of oral disturbances. The questionaionaire also demanded the subjects to answer about their habit of daily tooth brushing practice to know how much they were taught to care for their own oral health. The results were summarized as follows. I. Health Status of Gingiva An unagreeable sensation of oral cavity at the time of rising in the morning was complained by 26.6% of male subjects and 25.5% of female subjects. Bleeding from gingiva at the time of tooth brushing was experienced by 20.9% of male subjects and 22.7% of female subiects. Compacted food debris were seen in most of the subjects, but more freqently in the male. Pus formation was rarely reported. Cases of tooth mobility that were present in both senes decreased after about 14 years of age. Stippling of gigiva was seen in 28.1% of male subjects and 39.0% of female subjects. Very few cases of melanin deposition were reported. Dental calculus was reported from 17.7% of the male and 12.1% of the female. 2. Food Preference and Health of Gingiva Incidence of periodontosis was proved to rise in those subjects who preferred foods that were cooked either soft or served hot. The same was true with those subjects who preferred cooked fishes and sweetened foods 3. Tooth Brushing Habit Once a day practice was predominant among the subjects, and so was practice of tooth brushing before breakfast. The time spent for the practice seems to be decreased with advancing age of the subjects. Most of the subjects brushed teeth in both vertical and horizontal directions, and the lingual surface of teeth was brushed mostly in horizontal direction. A piece of tooth-brush was in use for 4 months in most of the subjects. Medium hardness of tooth brush with synthetic bristle was most frequently prefered and so was the shape of bristle with flat surface. 4. Number of Decayed Teeth and Foods Preference About one third of the subjects had not any knowledge about how many of their teeth had suffered dental decay. A majority of subjects had their teeth restored by fillings and other mean and the rate of such restorations increased slightly with increasing age of the subjects. Caries incidence was more frequent in those subjects of both sexes who preferred sweetened foods, acidic foods such as meat, fish and rice in general. The same was true in the male subjects who preferred alkaline foods such as fruit, vegetable and milk, and in the female who preferred hot foods.