Oral awareness and ability to detect dental plaque

Individuals exist who are unaware of the plaque on their teeth and unable to feel with their tongue any difference between tooth surfaces that are smooth and plaque free and those that are irregular or rougher because of a plaque coating. Oral form recognition (OFR), oral roughness discrimination (ORD) and plaque detection ability were examined in 46 undergraduate dental students. Forty-five of the students also completed Form C of Cattell's 16 PF Questionnaire. No relationship was found between the subjects' ability to detect dental plaque and their skills at either distinguishing between different surface roughnesses or recognizing forms orally. The association between personality and oral awareness was unclear.