Farhad Atassi

Periodontium in normal dentition is not as it is surrounding an implant area. Thus, periodontal probing with normal dentition is not similar to periimplant probing. The periimplant probing protocol should be different from periodontal probing because of inherent anatomical differences. The aim of this paper is to review the topics related to periimplant probing and to draw inferences to develop a periimplant probing protocol.

A cross-sectional study of 90 patients on renal dialysis was conducted to assess oral home care practices and the reasons for seeking dental care among these patients. Participants were divided into three groups based on the time they have been on renal dialysis. The groups were: (1) dialysis for less than one year, (2) dialysis for 1 to 3 years, and (3) dialysis for more than 3 years. Information regarding oral home care such as frequency of brushing, oral hygiene aids, and reasons for seeking dental care was obtained through a personal interview with the patients. Their oral health status was assessed using a plaque index and a gingival index. The means of plaque index were 1.716 (S.D 0.64), 2.161 (S.D 0.36), and 2.255 (S.D 0.42) respectively for the groups. The means of gingival index were 1.4278 (S.D 0.67), 1.9667 (S.D 0.38), and 2.0556 (S.D 0.35) for the three groups respectively. Tukey's post hoc test showed significant difference in both the indices between first and second groups and between the first and third groups, no significant difference was found between the second and third groups. The results indicate that oral home care practices were inadequate due to the presence of an unacceptable level of oral hygiene among the patients. Miswak (a wooden, Salvadora persica, chewing stick that is popular in the middle east to mechanically clean the teeth) has been found to be popular among the subjects. The primary purpose of dental clinic visits was for treatment of a dental problem rather than for the prevention of dental disease. There is a need for oral health promotion and especially prevention programs among the patients on renal dialysis. Citation: Atassi F. Oral Home Care and the Reasons for Seeking Dental Care by Individuals on Renal Dialysis. J Contemp Dent Pract 2002 May;(3)2: 031-041.

The study was designed to assess the level of oral home-care among subjects on renal dialysis. The study included 90 subjects, 37 (41.1%) male and 53 (58.9%) female, on renal dialysis. The mean age was 45.63 +/- 16.77. Four indices were used; the plaque index (PI); the debris index (DI); the calculus index (CI) and the gingival index (GI). Results showed that all subjects did not have optimal oral hygiene, means of PI, DI, CI and GI., were 2.0444, 1.9556, 1.8944 and 1.8167 respectively. No significant differences were observed between male and female. Frequency of plaque distribution indicated that 69.9% of the individuals had poor oral hygiene. In conclusion, subjects on renal dialysis were at high risk for developing periodontal disease. It is recommended that, subjects on renal dialysis should be regularly examined by dentists for proper care.