221 BEFRIENDING SERVICES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LESS DECLINE IN HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT NOT COGNITIVE FUNCTION, OVER TIME

Background

Befriending services are commonly deployed in the support of older people living alone, but lack an established evidence base, particularly in relation to their association with health outcomes.

Methods

To explore the potentially therapeutic impact of befriending on Health-Related Quality-of-Life (HR-QoL) and cognitive function, we used a single case experimental design. Data were collected from 85 new users of ALONE’s befriending service between 2019 and 2021 in an AB multiple baseline design. Generalised additive modelling was then used to assess trajectories of HR-QoL and cognitive function (semantic fluency) over the course of six months, and its association with the onset of the befriending service intervention

Results

The befriending service was associated with less decline over time in HR-QoL, and with a mitigated impact of loneliness on HR-QoL too. No such effects were observed for cognitive function as an outcome, which did not change over time.

Conclusion

Befriending may exert a positive effect on health-related quality of life, and reduce the negative impact that loneliness has on this outcome.

The comparative clinical efficacy of pyrophosphate/triclosan, copolymer/triclosan and zinc citrate/triclosan dentifrices for the reduction of supragingival calculus formation

Three triclosan-containing "multi-benefit" dentifrices were compared for clinical efficacy in reducing supragingival calculus formation following a dental prophylaxis. A total of 544 subjects completed a double-blind parallel-group clinical study using the Volpe-Manhold Index (VMI) to record severity and occurrence of supragingival calculus. The study design included a pre-test period where the calculus formation rate was measured in subjects brushing with a placebo dentifrice. Following a prophylaxis, subjects were stratified for age, gender and VMI scores and assigned to one of four treatments: 1) a dentifrice containing 5.0% soluble pyrophosphate/0.145% fluoride as NaF/silica abrasive/0.28% triclosan (hereafter PPi/TCS-comparable to Crest Complete dentifrice, Procter & Gamble, UK); 2) a commercial dentifrice containing 2.0% Gantrez acid copolymer/ 0.145% fluoride as NaF/silica abrasive/0.30% triclosan (hereafter Gan/TCS-Colgate Total dentifrice, Colgate-Palmolive Company, UK); 3) a commercial dentifrice containing 0.5% zinc citrate trihydrate/0.15% fluoride as sodium monofluorophosphate/silica abrasive/0.20% triclosan (hereafter Zn/TCS-Mentadent P dentifrice, Unilever, UK); and 4) a control dentifrice comprised of 0.145% fluoride as NaF/silica abrasive (hereafter Control). Subjects were instructed to use their assigned dentifrice at least twice per day and to brush as they do normally. Supragingival calculus formation was assesed at two and four months using site-specific and whole-mouth VMI indices for both calculus severity and occurrence. Following four months of use, the PPi/TCS dentifrice provided statistically significant reductions in calculus severity (22-23%) and occurrence (15%) as compared with the Control dentifrice. The Zn/TCS dentifrice also provided significant reductions in calculus severity (17-19%) and occurrence (12-13%) as compared with the Control. The Gan/TCS produced no statistically significant reductions in calculus formation (occurrence or severity) compared with the Control. The PPi/TCS dentifrice provided statistically significant reductions in calculus severity (15-21%) and occurrence (12-16%) as compared with the Gan/TCS dentifrice. These results support the clinical effectiveness of PPi/TCS and Zn/TCS dentifrices for the reduction of supragingival dental calculus formation following a dental prophylaxis.