Lopes Sara, Morgado Susana, Gomes Ana T P C, Lopes Pedro C, Couto Patrícia, Correia Maria J, Flores-Fraile Javier, Veiga Nélio
Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, Viseu, 3504-505, Portugal.
Universidad de Salamanca, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Cirugía, Salamanca, Spain.
BMC Oral Health. 2024 Dec 19;24(1):1502. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-05278-3.
Oral health represents a public health problem due to its remarkable social impact and medical costs. Crenotherapy with sulfur water is shown to be a complementary, less toxic, and traumatizing therapy, but the number of studies that evaluate the effect of natural mineral waters effect on oral health are scarce. The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the impact of thermal water therapy on the oral health of the participants, assessing parameters such as plaque index, gingival bleeding index and periodontal probing depth as well on the perception of symptoms of oral mucosa diseases (OMD).
An observational, longitudinal and comparative study was designed, and 90 thermalists were randomly allocated to two treatment groups for 14 days: Thermal sulfuric natural mineral water of the Amarante Thermal baths group (TW_TA group) (n = 45) or saline solution (control group) (n = 45), in May 2022. The study was based on clinical observation and application of a self-response questionnaire involving sociodemographic data and quality of life assessment. The evaluation was carried out in 2 different moments: before and at the end of treatment (14 days).
The study involved 90 thermal practitioners, evenly split between the TW_TA group and a control group. Most participants were women (70%), with a similar average age in both groups. Oral examination showed a high prevalence of filled and missing teeth, and around 25% of participants used removable prostheses, predominantly in the control group. Thermal treatment had a positive impact on oral health. In the TW_TA group, gingival bleeding significantly decreased from 68.9% to 40%, while it remained unchanged in the control group. Periodontal health improved, with no participants in the TW_TA group having pockets deeper than 5 mm by the end of the study, indicating reduced periodontal pathology. Also, plaque levels dropped in both groups after treatment, as assessed by the O'Leary index. Additionally, quality of life related to OMD improved, particularly in the TW_TA group. The overall reduction in symptoms was significant, although the differences between groups were not statistically significant.
This study demonstrates the positive effects of thermal water treatment on oral health, including reduced gingival bleeding and plaque levels, along with improved quality of life related to OMD. Further targeted research is needed to explore the benefits of thermal water effects and optimize oral health practices in Portugal using thermal waters.
口腔健康因其显著的社会影响和医疗成本而成为一个公共卫生问题。硫磺水的温泉疗法被证明是一种辅助性、毒性较小且创伤性较小的疗法，但评估天然矿泉水对口腔健康影响的研究数量稀少。这项初步研究的目的是评估热水疗法对参与者口腔健康的影响，评估诸如菌斑指数、牙龈出血指数和牙周探诊深度等参数，以及对口腔黏膜疾病（OMD）症状的感知。
设计了一项观察性、纵向和对比性研究，2022年5月，90名温泉疗养者被随机分配到两个治疗组，为期14天：阿马兰特温泉浴场的热硫酸天然矿泉水组（TW_TA组）（n = 45）或盐溶液（对照组）（n = 45）。该研究基于临床观察和一份涉及社会人口统计学数据和生活质量评估的自我应答问卷的应用。评估在两个不同时间进行：治疗前和治疗结束时（14天）。
该研究涉及90名温泉疗养者，在TW_TA组和对照组中平均分配。大多数参与者为女性（70%），两组的平均年龄相似。口腔检查显示补牙和缺牙的患病率很高，约25%的参与者使用可摘义齿，主要在对照组。热疗对口腔健康有积极影响。在TW_TA组，牙龈出血从68.9%显著降至40%，而在对照组中保持不变。牙周健康得到改善，到研究结束时，TW_TA组没有参与者的牙周袋深度超过5毫米，表明牙周病变减少。此外，根据奥利里指数评估，两组治疗后菌斑水平均下降。此外，与OMD相关的生活质量得到改善，特别是在TW_TA组。症状的总体减轻是显著的，尽管组间差异无统计学意义。
这项研究证明了热水疗法对口腔健康的积极影响，包括减少牙龈出血和菌斑水平，以及改善与OMD相关的生活质量。需要进一步有针对性的研究来探索热水效应的益处，并优化葡萄牙使用温泉水的口腔健康实践。
