Effect of tongue brushing on individual optimal level of sugar and salt concentration, development of dental caries, periodontal diseases and body mass index and find out the existing knowledge about tongue brushing among 15-20 years old school children and their parents of Battuwatta Maha Vidyalaya, Battuwatta, Sri Lanka.

Effect of tongue brushing on individual optimal level of sugar and salt concentration, development of dental caries, periodontal diseases and body mass index and find out the existing knowledge about tongue brushing among 15-20 years old school children and their parents of Battuwatta Maha Vidyalaya, Battuwatta, Sri Lanka. | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Short Report Effect of tongue brushing on individual optimal level of sugar and salt concentration, development of dental caries, periodontal diseases and body mass index and find out the existing knowledge about tongue brushing among 15-20 years old school children and their parents of Battuwatta Maha Vidyalaya, Battuwatta, Sri Lanka. Vipula Saparamadu, Janakie Kurera, Nirmala Perera This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6698032/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 23 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Research Notes → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Introduction Significance of perform tongue brushing is uncertain and lacking of clinical evidence. This study was conducted to assess effect of tongue brushing to optimal levels of salt, sugar, development of dental caries, Body mass index and to find out the existing knowledge of tongue brushing. Methods Cross sectional study was carried out at Adolescents dental clinic Batuwatta Maha Vidayalaya Batuwatta Sri Lanka. Patients attending the above institutes for their regular dental follow up visits and their parents were selected. The optimal sugar and salt concentration were measured by using a gradient of solutions. Moreover, height, weight, DMFT, CPTIN index were recorded. Self-administrative questionnaire was used to collect data on existing knowledge of parents and children. Results Out of 191 subjects, age ranged from 14 to 19 years, the median age of the students was 16 (Inter-quartile range = 2) years. Male students constituted 52.9% (101) of the participants. 134 (75.3%) out of the 178 that had answered the question reported that they do regularly perform brushing of tongue. 309 parents/guardians had responded to the questionnaire that. Of those parents, 170 (54.5%) were females. Out of that 283(91.59%) perform tongue brushing. According to the students, tongue brushing was started by due to the influence of either their mother (91, 68.4%) or father (16, 12.0%). But had no evidence of professional advice. Out of responded parents only 3.26% were on the dentist or medical professional advice. The median optimal salt taste concentration for between two groups were the same (1.5g/200ml, represented by level 3). The mean value for the same measure was slightly higher in those who brushed their tongue (3.14) compared to those who did not (3.00). This difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.389). The median optimal sugar taste concentration was also the same for the two groups. Again, the mean value was only marginally higher in the tongue brushing group (3.25 vs 3.09). Therefore, there was no statistically significant difference in optimum sugar taste concentration levels between two groups. Regarding BMI, the correlation coefficient in this instance was a positive one (0.143). The statistical significance of the coefficient failed to come below the cut-off value of 0.05 (see Table 17). And thus, it was not possible to conclude that there was a significant association between BMI and tongue brushing score. When considering the relationship between the tongue brushing score and the optimal taste level, the analytical method used was non-parametric correlation (Spearman). Between tongue brushing score and the optimal sugar taste concentration took a negative value (-0.112). This was also not statistically significant (p = 0.150). For the periodontal health CPTIN index, both mean and median values were higher in the non-tongue brushing group. This different failed to become significant with the Mann-Whitney U test. Conclusion No significant association was found between the frequency, duration, or method of tongue brushing and individuals' sugar and salt intake, the development of dental caries, periodontal disease, or notable changes in Body Mass Index (BMI). Furthermore, the majority of participants engaged in tongue brushing without professional guidance or a foundation in scientific evidence. Tongue brushing optimal sugar value optimal salt value Body mass index (BMI) Community periodontal index of Treatment needs index (CPTIN) decayed missing and filled teeth value (DMFT) Tongue brushing score Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 23 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Research Notes → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 05 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 06 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 Jul, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 22 Jul, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 10 Jun, 2025 Editor invited by journal 09 Jun, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 08 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6698032","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Short Report","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":489147310,"identity":"78c95c2b-6c4a-4612-bdc4-de2db65fdc2d","order_by":0,"name":"Vipula Saparamadu","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZiB+AGKw94D5PHxEaUkAqz3DwHAASLERZRNYi0QOWAsDQS0Gx3mPSSTUMNjzz3x78PHHHDsZNgbmh49u4NNymC9NIuEYQ+KM23nJBge3JQMdxmZsnINHi2Qzj5lEAhvQbbdzzCQObmMGauFhkyas5R+DvfzNMyAt9YS18DMDtSS2MTBuuMED0nKYGC18yRaJfQyJG8/kGBuc3Xach42ZgF/Y+M8evPHhG4O93PEzhg8qt1Xb87M3P3yMTwsw7kDEfyQBZrzK4VpGwSgYBaNgFOABAJSYP6rH1lthAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Ministry of Health, District General hospital, Gampaha.","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vipula","middleName":"","lastName":"Saparamadu","suffix":""},{"id":489147312,"identity":"f2a0b788-b963-4245-b3a2-8ba230a3b6ce","order_by":1,"name":"Janakie Kurera","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ministry of Health, District General hospital, Negombo.","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Janakie","middleName":"","lastName":"Kurera","suffix":""},{"id":489147313,"identity":"b7d0f188-211c-4d6b-b3e8-b2af3585ce4b","order_by":2,"name":"Nirmala Perera","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya.","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nirmala","middleName":"","lastName":"Perera","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-19 10:38:14","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6698032/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6698032/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-025-07567-8","type":"published","date":"2025-12-23T15:58:09+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":99172738,"identity":"79afcbfc-0502-4c2d-94a7-204c997a44a1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-29 16:11:19","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2549128,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Tonguebrushpublishp4.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6698032/v1_covered_6aed7db5-8fbb-4852-a3f6-7bf70d11b62f.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Effect of tongue brushing on individual optimal level of sugar and salt concentration, development of dental caries, periodontal diseases and body mass index and find out the existing knowledge about tongue brushing among 15-20 years old school children and their parents of Battuwatta Maha Vidyalaya, Battuwatta, Sri Lanka.","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-research-notes","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"resn","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Research Notes](http://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/resn/default.aspx","title":"BMC Research Notes","twitterHandle":"@BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Tongue brushing, optimal sugar value, optimal salt value, Body mass index (BMI), Community periodontal index of Treatment needs index (CPTIN), decayed, missing, and filled teeth value (DMFT), Tongue brushing score","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6698032/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6698032/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntroduction\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSignificance of perform tongue brushing is uncertain and lacking of clinical evidence. This study was conducted to assess effect of tongue brushing to optimal levels of salt, sugar, development of dental caries, Body mass index and to find out the existing knowledge of tongue brushing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCross sectional study was carried out at Adolescents dental clinic Batuwatta Maha Vidayalaya Batuwatta Sri Lanka. Patients attending the above institutes for their regular dental follow up visits and their parents were selected. The optimal sugar and salt concentration were measured by using a gradient of solutions. Moreover, height, weight, DMFT, CPTIN index were recorded. Self-administrative questionnaire was used to collect data on existing knowledge of parents and children.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOut of 191 subjects, age ranged from 14 to 19 years, the median age of the students was 16 (Inter-quartile range = 2) years. Male students constituted 52.9% (101) of the participants. 134 (75.3%) out of the 178 that had answered the question reported that they do regularly perform brushing of tongue. 309 parents/guardians had responded to the questionnaire that. Of those parents, 170 (54.5%) were females. Out of that 283(91.59%) perform tongue brushing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the students, tongue brushing was started by due to the influence of either their mother (91, 68.4%) or father (16, 12.0%). But had no evidence of professional advice. Out of responded parents only 3.26% were on the dentist or medical professional advice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe median optimal salt taste concentration for between two groups were the same (1.5g/200ml, represented by level 3). The mean value for the same measure was slightly higher in those who brushed their tongue (3.14) compared to those who did not (3.00). This difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.389).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe median optimal sugar taste concentration was also the same for the two groups. Again, the mean value was only marginally higher in the tongue brushing group (3.25 vs 3.09). Therefore, there was no statistically significant difference in optimum sugar taste concentration levels between two groups.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegarding BMI, the correlation coefficient in this instance was a positive one (0.143). The statistical significance of the coefficient failed to come below the cut-off value of 0.05 (see Table 17). And thus, it was not possible to conclude that there was a significant association between BMI and tongue brushing score.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen considering the relationship between the tongue brushing score and the optimal taste level, the analytical method used was non-parametric correlation (Spearman). Between tongue brushing score and the optimal sugar taste concentration took a negative value (-0.112). This was also not statistically significant (p = 0.150).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the periodontal health CPTIN index, both mean and median values were higher in the non-tongue brushing group. This different failed to become significant with the Mann-Whitney U test.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo significant association was found between the frequency, duration, or method of tongue brushing and individuals' sugar and salt intake, the development of dental caries, periodontal disease, or notable changes in Body Mass Index (BMI). 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