Masaki Iwakura

Difference between age generation of oral health examination in a rural town

Oral health examinations were held in summer continuously for 2 years with general health checks in a rural town. We included oral health check, practice of oral cleaning, and measurement of oral malodor in the examination. Aim of this study was to examine the difference of impression in the oral health examination between younger and older participants by questionnaires. No difference was found between male and female ratio in each generation. Also, no difference was seen as for ratio of joiners of oral cleaning and ratio of their satisfaction after the practice. Significant difference between two generations was seen as for strong satisfaction ratio with explanation about the result of oral malodor, and effective motivation ratio for oral hygiene caused by measurement of oral malodor. The oral health examination held with general checks with measurement of oral malodor seemed more impressive to older generation.

Dental examinations for oral health promotion in a rural town

We carried out residents-attractive dental health examinations by increasing the learning contents with systemic health examination of a rural town in Japan. Town staffs or some residents who had finished training programs participated in the dental examinations as staffs. Oral malodor was measured to motivate oral hygiene of examinees. We prepared questionnaires and asked the impression of examinees about “the dental examination with learning” 7 months after the examination. Questionnaires showed that 85% of dental examinees recognized it as satisfactory. This fact indicates the possibility that the new dental examination can be a model for oral health promotion in the community.

Psychological characterization of halitosis patients by using Egogram and the Halitosis Scale Questionnaires

Halitosis is a common oral concern and patients often seek help from dentists. The purpose of this study is to evaluate psychological characteristics of halitosis patients and their changes with treatment. The subjects consisted of 150 halitosis patients and 64 non-halitosis patients. They were requested to complete Egogram and the halitosis scale questionnaires, before and after treatment. The results indicated that halitosis patients improved in the objective recognition of their malodor level, their obsession with halitosis, and interpersonal communication after treatment. Therefore, the ideal dentist attitude for halitosis treatment is to help patients overcome their obsession by examining their breath level repeatedly and encourage them to develop social skills. However, these subjects had a tendency for social phobia, and its removal was not easy. Therefore, it would be essential that dentists continue to accept their complaints and relapse of their obsession with bad breath sincerely.

Measurement of Halitosis with a Zinc Oxide Thin Film Semiconductor Sensor

Halitosis, defined as unpleasant oral odor, is a health concern among the general public. Halitosis has been conventionally diagnosed by organoleptic examination and by gas chromatographic analysis of the main source of halitosis, i.e., volatile sulfur compounds, such as H2S and CH3SH. Since gas chromatography requires a large-scale system and a long running time, we investigated the use of a zinc oxide thin film semiconductor sensor for measuring trace volatile sulfur compounds in mouth air. Mouth air samples collected in Teflon bags from 7 patients and 22 volunteers were analyzed by the three methods. The readings of the sensor were correlated with the values of the volatiles measured by gas chromatography (r = 0.712, P < 0.01), and also with the organoleptic scores given by three judges (r = 0.714, P < 0.01). The organoleptic scores were correlated with the gas chromatographic values (r = 0.703, P < 0.01).