Clinical evaluation of plaque reduction efficacy of three different toothbrush types

Background and Aim: Dental plaque is the etiologic factor of diseases such as caries, gingivitis and periodontitis if it is not routinely removed from tooth surfaces, and it is known that tooth brushing is the most successful method for removing dental deposits. Today, this goal is achieved with the help of various toothbrushes of different designs. In children, some age-related developmental factors may affect the effectiveness of tooth brushing. In our study, the effectiveness of 3 different brush types (manual, three-headed manual and electric toothbrush) was evaluated by considering a 7-year-old child population. The developmental levels of the children were examined by obtaining information from the parents with the help of a questionnaire and comparisons were made with the amount of plaque removed. Material and Methods: Our study population consisted of 7-year-old 60 children; the type of brush each child would use in the first session was randomly assigned. The sessions were performed at one-week intervals, and in each session, the buccal and lingual surfaces and the mesial aproximal regions of the permanent 1st molars were stained with the help of a staining agent, the amount of plaque was recorded before and after brushing using QHI and API. The children were taught how to use the type of toothbrush to be used by verbally explaining it on a model and were told that they should remove the stains on the tooth surfaces. Then, the participants were allowed to brush their teeth for 2 minutes in front of the mirror without any intervention. At the end of the study, all children experienced all toothbrush types. Parents and/or caregivers participated in a questionnaire study that allowed for a comprehensive examination of children's developmental levels. IBM SPSS 23 Statistics program was used for statistical evaluations and alpha error level was accepted as 0.05. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the dental plaque measurements before the initial toothbrushing session when comparisons were made by gender, dominant hand and the daily routine toothbrush type. In the aproximal areas and flat surfaces, the three-headed manual and electric toothbrushes were found to have superior dental plaque removal efficiency compared to the conventional manual toothbrush. Although girls removed dental plaque more successfully than boys on some flat surfaces and aproximal areas, there was no significant difference in brushing skills between genders. The criteria assessed in the questionnaire did not affect brushing ability. Conclusion: Compared to manual toothbrush, three-headed manual and electric toothbrushes are recommended as alternative toothbrush models for 7-year-old children due to their superior dental plaque removal efficiency and ease of use. Keywords: Toothbrush, dental plaque, motor skills, child, questionnaire