Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2013 Jun;51(6):477-81.
doi: 10.1038/sc.2012.176. Epub 2013 Jan 15.

Effect of a home telecare program on oral health among adults with tetraplegia: a pilot study

H K Yuen  1
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Effect of a home telecare program on oral health among adults with tetraplegia: a pilot study

H K Yuen. Spinal Cord. 2013 Jun.

Abstract

Study design: one group pre- and post-test design.

Objectives: The primary aim was to examine both the short- and long-term effects of an oral home telecare program on improving gingival health among adults with tetraplegia.

Methods: Eight adults with tetraplegia participated. The oral home telecare program consisted of individualized oral hygiene training in the use of assistive devices (powered toothbrush and adapted flosser and/or oral irrigator) using personal computer-based videoconferencing between each participant and an occupational therapist. Training was conducted on an average of five 15-30 min sessions across 3 months. During these training sessions, supervised practice of oral hygiene, and provision of immediate corrective feedback and positive reinforcement in the use of adaptive oral hygiene devices was emphasized. Gingival health assessment using the Löe-Silness gingival index (LSGI) was conducted at baseline, 6 and 12 months.

Results: From baseline to 6 months, participants showed statistically significant differences (that is, improvement with less gingival inflammation) in their LSGI scores (z=2.18, P=.03). From baseline to 12 months, participants also showed a statistically significant difference (that is, improvement, z=2.03; P=0.04) in their LSGI scores.

Conclusion: This study indicates that preventive oral home telecare with repeated oral hygiene training in the use of adaptive devices improved gingival health at 6 and 12 months among adults with tetraplegia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Statement

The author declares that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Recruitment Flow Chart
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lancashire P, Janzen J, Zach GA, Addy M. The oral hygiene and gingival health of paraplegic inpatients--a cross-sectional survey. Journal of clinical periodontology. 1997;24(3):3. - PubMed
    1. Stiefel DJ, Truelove EL, Persson RS, Chin MM, Mandel LS. A comparison of oral health in spinal cord injury and other disability groups. Special Care in Dentistry. 1993;13(6):229–235. - PubMed
    1. Bronte S. Oral health care for individuals with tetraplegia due to spinal cord injury: A pilot study. Journal of Oral Health and Disability. 2001;2(1):7.
    1. Yuen HK, Shotwell MS, Magruder KM, Slate EH, Salinas CF. Factors associated with oral problems among adults with spinal cord injury. The journal of spinal cord medicine. 2009;32(4):408–415. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yuen HK, Wolf BJ, Bandyopadhyay D, Magruder KM, Selassie AW, Salinas CF. Factors that limit access to dental care for adults with spinal cord injury. Special care in dentistry : official publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry. 2010 Jul-Aug;30(4):151–156. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types