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.

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.