FMDUL - Faculdade de Medicina Dentária da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
INESCTEC - Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science, Porto, Portugal.
Clin Oral Investig. 2024 Oct 1;28(10):563. doi: 10.1007/s00784-024-05960-4.
Space, an extreme environment, poses significant challenges to human physiology, including adverse effects on oral health (e.g., increase of periodontitis prevalence, caries, tooth sensitivity). This study investigates the differences in oral health routines and oral manifestations among analog astronauts during their daily routines and simulated space missions conducted on Earth.
This research focused on scientist-astronaut candidates of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) and analog astronauts from other institutions. The study used a cross-sectional methodology with a descriptive component. A total of 16 participants, comprising individuals aged between 21 and 55 years, were invited to complete an online questionnaire. A comparison was made between the subjects' oral hygiene practices in everyday life (designated as Earth in this research) and their oral hygiene routines during their space analog missions.
(i) Toothbrushing duration was mostly "1-3 minutes" (n = 13; 81.30% on Earth; n = 11; 68.80% on a mission); (ii) "time spent" was the greatest difficulty in maintaining oral hygiene routine on a mission (n = 9; 53,6%); (iii) There were more experienced oral symptoms on Earth (n = 12; 75%) than on mission (n = 7; 43.80%); (iv) The most frequent frequency of oral check-ups was "> 12 months" (n = 6; 37,5%); (v) Oral health materials were scarce on the mission (n = 9; 56.30%); (vi) For the majority, personal oral hygiene was classified as "good" (n = 9; 56.30% on Earth; n = 7; 43.80% on the mission).
This research contributes to increasing knowledge of oral hygiene measures in extreme environments, but further research is needed as this topic remains relatively understudied. This study represents an initial contribution to oral health in analog space missions, aiming to propose guidelines for future missions, including deep space missions and expeditions to extreme environments.
太空是一种极端环境，对人体生理机能构成重大挑战，包括对口腔健康产生不利影响（例如，牙周炎、龋齿、牙齿敏感的发生率增加）。本研究旨在调查模拟太空任务期间，模拟宇航员日常和模拟太空任务中的口腔健康习惯和口腔表现的差异。
本研究的对象为国际宇航科学院（IIAS）的宇航员候选人和其他机构的模拟宇航员。研究采用横断面方法，具有描述性部分。共有 16 名年龄在 21 至 55 岁之间的参与者受邀完成在线问卷。将研究对象在日常生活中的口腔卫生习惯（在本研究中称为地球）与他们在模拟太空任务中的口腔卫生习惯进行比较。
（i）刷牙时长大多为“1-3 分钟”（n = 13；地球 81.30%；n = 11；模拟任务 68.80%）；（ii）“时间”是维持模拟任务期间口腔卫生习惯的最大困难（n = 9；53.60%）；（iii）在地球（n = 12；75%）上比在模拟任务中（n = 7；43.80%）上体验到更多的口腔症状；（iv）口腔检查最频繁的频率为“> 12 个月”（n = 6；37.5%）；（v）在任务中口腔卫生材料稀缺（n = 9；56.30%）；（vi）对于大多数人来说，个人口腔卫生被归类为“良好”（n = 9；地球 56.30%；n = 7；模拟任务 43.80%）。
本研究有助于增加对极端环境中口腔卫生措施的认识，但由于该主题研究相对较少，因此需要进一步研究。本研究代表了对模拟太空任务中口腔健康的初步贡献，旨在为未来的任务（包括深空任务和极端环境探险）提出指导方针。
