Risk factors for the development of oral bacteria in workers according to oral environment

Abstract

This research examined the oral environmental factors to identify the risk factors for oral bacteria detection.This study comprised of 60 office workers aged between 20 and 65 years, and was performed from January 15 to February 28, 2015. The study variables measured were the stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow rates, salivary buffering, saliva pH, dry mouth at the dorsum of the tongue and the sublingual region, halitosis, and the degree of tongue-coating as oral environmental factors. To identify the presence of oral bacteria, pathogens were detected by extracting the gDNA of the resting salivary flow rate. The risk of S.mutans detection was 15 times higher with smokers, 1.3∼1.6 times higher when the resting or stimulated salivary flow rate was reduced by 1 mm. The risk of P.intermedia detection was 13 times higher in smokers, 4.3 times higher as the severity of oral dryness was lowered, and 4 times higher for adults with a tongue coating than those without. In addition, the risk of detecting TM7 was 5.5 times higher as sublingual dryness was decreased by 1mm. The oral bacterial count will be reduced considerably by smoking cessation education and habits that facilitate a salivary flow rate. Furthermore, adults with good and well-managed dental hygiene are anticipated to have less oral bacteria and fewer dental diseases.