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Effect of a Multi-Channel Oral Irrigator on Oral Hygiene Improvement in Older Adult Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities: A Pilot Study

  • The Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies
  • Abbr : JTS
  • 2026, 10(1), pp.81~88
  • DOI : 10.22685/jts.2026.10.1.81
  • Publisher : The Society for Transdisciplinary Studies
  • Research Area : Interdisciplinary Studies > Interdisciplinary Research
  • Received : February 25, 2026
  • Accepted : April 25, 2026
  • Published : April 30, 2026

Ji-Won Park ORD ID 1,  Kyoung-Il Jung 2,  Chan-Gyu Kim 3

1단국대학교(천안캠퍼스)
2강동실버케어센터
3슬기로운재활병원

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This pilot study aimed to explore the feasibility and preliminary effects of a multi-channel oral irrigator (COMORAL, SMDsolutions, Seoul, Korea) in improving oral hygiene among older adult residents in long-term care facilities. Methods: 25 adults aged ≥65 years residing in the Gangdong Silver Care Center (Gangdong-gu, Seoul, Korea) completed the 4-week intervention and were included in the final analysis. Participants used the multi-channel oral irrigator twice daily, and oral hygiene indices including the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S), Patient Hygiene Performance index (PHP), the Winkel Tongue Coating Index (WTCI), and tongue dryness were measured at baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. Turbidity and residual scores of the collected oral irrigated water were also analyzed. Results: Significant improvements were observed in the OHI-S (2.29 ± 1.07 ￫ 1.71 ± 1.03, p = 0.001), DI-S (1.46 ± 0.62 ￫ 0.97 ± 0.59, p < 0.001), PHP (2.33 ± 1.15 ￫ 1.64 ± 1.13, p = 0.007), and WTCI (7.92 ± 3.25 ￫ 4.00 ± 3.42, p < 0.001). CI-S and tongue dryness score showed no significant changes. Turbidity and residual levels of irrigated water did not differ significantly across time points. Conclusions: The multi-channel oral irrigator was associated with improvements in oral hygiene indicators, suggesting its potential utility as a non-invasive and efficient oral care tool for older adults with limited self-care ability in long-term care facilities. These findings suggest that the device may help support more standardized and feasible oral hygiene care in long-term care settings.

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