Effect of an oral healthcare program on gingival health status in rural areas of South Korea.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of an oral health care program administered at rural public health subcenters on oral hygiene status and bleeding on probing (BOP) scores among Korean rural residents older than 40 years. METHODS: Residents older than 40 years living in two rural areas were allocated randomly by order of visit into an intervention group (n=23) and control group (n=23). Changes in plaque and BOP score were analyzed between the groups using repeated-measures ANOVA. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify factors affecting changes in BOP score. RESULTS: The BoP score decreased by 22.87 in the intervention group and 0.27 in the control group between baseline and the eighth week (p<0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that the change in BoP score (DeltaBoP score) increased significantly with an increase in the reduction of the plaque (PHP) index (DeltaPHP index) (t=-2.174, p<0.05) and increased significantly more in the intervention group than in the control group (t=2.143, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Professional care and continuous oral health education for 8 weeks prior to scaling among adults older than 40 years living in rural environments resulted in a change in oral health behaviors and a substantial reduction in gingival bleeding.