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This study aimed to assess the frequency of tongue cleaning and the effect of tongue hygiene instruction on oral hygiene habits among periodontal patients.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A total of 222 patients, diagnosed with gingivitis or periodontitis, participated in this study. Participants completed a questionnaire before and one month after receiving tongue hygiene instruction. The questionnaire included demographic information and a section for tongue cleaning habits. The instruction was delivered using educational models and a leaflet prepared by the authors. Data were analyzed using chi-square, Fisher\u2019s exact test, independent samples t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and McNemar test, with significance set at\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.05.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Initially, 32.9% of participants practiced tongue cleaning, with women (68.5%,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.001), non-smokers (91.8%,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.001), and patients with gingivitis (69.9%,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.001) showing significantly higher rates. After instruction, the prevalence of tongue cleaning increased to 76.2%, with daily cleaning rising from 11.2% to 45.4% (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.001). The instruction was particularly effective for participants with periodontitis (increased from 35.4% to 51.4%) and those without a college education (52.1% to 70.6%), with both being statistically significant (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.001). Additionally, 42.6% of participants reported improved taste perception, particularly among those over 60 years of age (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.001).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Tongue hygiene instruction significantly improved tongue cleaning habits and oral hygiene among periodontal patients, emphasizing the importance of targeted educational interventions. Tongue hygiene instructions should be a part of routine dental care to raise patient awareness, which in turn promotes better adherence to the practice.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12903-025-07618-3","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T08:36:27Z","timestamp":1767947787000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Effect of tongue hygiene instruction on periodontal patients: an experimental study"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3499-2250","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fazele","family":"Atarbashi-Moghadam","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-1299-1329","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sajjad","family":"Salari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7589-8220","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Seyed Sepehr","family":"Mirebeigi-Jamasbi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"7618_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"593","DOI":"10.1186\/s12903-023-03306-2","volume":"23","author":"E Abbaszadeh","year":"2023","unstructured":"Abbaszadeh E, Navabi N, Karimi Afshar S, Hashemipour MA. 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