Engsomboon Nutthawadee, Thanathornwong Bhornsawan, Suebnukarn Siriwan
Oral Health Prev Dent. 2024 Dec 2;22:617-622. doi: 10.3290/j.ohpd.b5866440.
Silicone mouth swabs have emerged as a promising alternative to gauze, sponge brushes, and soft-bristled toothbrushes, offering a balance between gentle cleaning and effectiveness. The flexibility and softness of silicone make it a suitable material for safely cleaning the sensitive oral tissues of elderly patients. This study aims to determine the optimal hardness level of silicone that maximises cleaning effectiveness while minimising the risk of trauma to oral tissues.
A pseudo-plaque was created by mixing 6.0 g of Thicken Up Clear food additive with 12.0 ml of water and food colouring, which was then spread onto a NISSIN dentoform silicone rubber sheet (simulated soft tissue) with a thickness of 2.0 mm. Silicone heads with different hardness levels - 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 Shore A - were attached to a V.P.2000 tooth brushing machine, operating at 75 rounds per minute with a force of 1.96 N. Each swab was used to brush the surface 25 times (n = 16 for each group).
A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a statistically significant difference in pseudo-plaque removal among the five hardness levels, with an F-value of 106.161 (degrees of freedom = 4, 75, p 0.001). The Games-Howell pairwise comparison test showed that all five silicone hardness levels differed significantly from each other in their effectiveness in removing pseudo-plaque (p 0.05). No visible simulated soft tissue damage was observed before and after brushing, as inspected with a stereomicroscope in all experiments.
The silicone oral swab with a hardness level of 60 Shore A was found to maximise pseudo-plaque removal in vitro. This finding is crucial for the development of specialised oral hygiene tools tailored to the needs of the elderly population, thereby enhancing oral health and overall well-being.
硅胶口腔拭子已成为纱布、海绵刷和软毛牙刷的一种有前景的替代品，在温和清洁与有效性之间取得了平衡。硅胶的柔韧性和柔软性使其成为安全清洁老年患者敏感口腔组织的合适材料。本研究旨在确定硅胶的最佳硬度水平，以在最大程度提高清洁效果的同时，将口腔组织受创伤的风险降至最低。
将6.0克增稠透明食品添加剂与12.0毫升水和食用色素混合制成假菌斑，然后将其铺展在厚度为2.0毫米的日清牙科用硅胶橡胶片（模拟软组织）上。将不同硬度水平（邵氏A硬度为20、30、40、50和60）的硅胶头连接到V.P.2000牙刷机上，以每分钟75转、1.96牛的力运行。每个拭子用于刷洗表面25次（每组n = 16）。
单因素方差分析显示，五个硬度水平之间在假菌斑清除方面存在统计学上的显著差异，F值为106.161（自由度 = 4, 75, p < 0.001）。Games-Howell两两比较检验表明，所有五个硅胶硬度水平在去除假菌斑的有效性方面彼此均有显著差异（p < 0.05）。在所有实验中，用立体显微镜检查发现，刷洗前后均未观察到明显的模拟软组织损伤。
发现邵氏A硬度为60的硅胶口腔拭子在体外能最大程度地清除假菌斑。这一发现对于开发满足老年人群需求的专门口腔卫生工具至关重要，从而可改善口腔健康和整体幸福感。
