title: Maintenance of gingival health--a measure based on clinical indices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To introduce a variable which directly measures maintenance of gingival health.
  
  
  METHODS
  The maintenance of gingival health index (MGHI) is based on the change in score at each tooth site compared to a reference visit for a clinical index (eg MGI or BI). For a subject the number of sites that (1) improve-NDEC, (2) show no change-NNOCHG or (3) worsen-NINC in score are determined. Then the MGHI for a subject is defined as (NDEC+NNOCHNG)/NINC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This method was applied to two clinical studies and both studies demonstrated significantly better maintenance of gingival health in those subjects who received the experimental 0.1% w/w o-cymen-5-ol/ 0.6% w/w ZnCl2 dentifrice compared to the 0.204% w/w sodium fluoride control dentifrice based on a gingival and a bleeding clinical index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MGHI is a useful measure to assess the maintenance of gingival health. It is very applicable to the maintenance of gingival health study designs as it directly looks at a measurement of maintaining the health of tooth sites. It also provides a meaningful measure of the relative effectiveness of dentifrice products to the dental practitioner.
authors.affiliation: GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Weybridge, Surrey, UK. Andrew.2.Butler@gsk.com
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Targett
authors.forename: Mary Lynn
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bosma
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002712:Chlorides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003802:Dentifrices / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010636:Phenols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012969:Sodium Fluoride / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D003802:Dentifrices; D010636:Phenols; D017967:Zinc Compounds; C016837:zinc chloride; D012969:Sodium Fluoride; C512394:o-cymen-5-ol