Association of children’s toothbrushing and fine motor skills: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Fine motor skills (FMS) allow for the control and coordination of the distal musculature of hands and fingers, a skill required to brush teeth. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between FMS and toothbrushing efficacy. This crosssectional study included 42 low-income Latino children aged 5 to 9 years from Pasto, Colombia. Toothbrushing efficacy was determined by the children's dental plaque Quigley-Hein Index (QH-I) mean-score difference from before and after toothbrushing. FMS were evaluated using the 5-15R parent evaluation, the spiral drawing Archimedes test, and a neurodevelopmental assessment of movements and prehension patterns during toothbrushing. A descriptive analysis was performed to assess the characteristics of FMS and children's toothbrushing, and a generalized linear model was used to determine associations between these skills and toothbrushing efficacy. Eightysix percent of the children had at least one difficulty with FMS, and in 7%, they interfered with daily activities. Fourteen percent presented a moderate pattern in the Archimedes test, and 43% had inefficient prehension patterns. Toothbrushing reduced the QH-I by a mean of 1.45 (SD = 0.78-2.12) (p < 0.001). Toothbrushing efficacy was only significantly associated with age (mean-difference = -0.315, 95%CI: -0.481 to -0.148, p < 0.001). FMS and toothbrushing efficacy were not significantly associated. Other components of fine motor control should be analyzed to understand the kinetics of toothbrushing.

Efektivitas Sikat Gigi Listrik sebagai Kontrol Plak Penderita Sindrom Down

“…Penelitian ini menjelaskan bahwa semakin rendah IQ pasien maka semakin tinggi status kebersihan mulutnya karena pengawasan pengasuh pasien atau orang tua mempengaruhi aktivitas menyikat gigi dalam kehidupan sehari-hari penderita Down Syndrome. Perbedaan pendapat tersebut membawa pada kesimpulan bahwa kebersihan mulut pada pasien down syndrome memerlukan kerjasama yang baik antara orang tua pasien, pengasuh, guru dan pasien itu sendiri (Duker et al, 2020;Mafla et al, 2022).…”

“…Penderita sindrom Down mengalami kesulitan dalam mencapai kontrol plak yang optimal, terutama saat menyikat gigi. Mereka mempunyai keterbatasan dalam mengontrol dan melakukan gerakan menyikat gigi dengan sikat gigi manual, berbeda dengan orang tanpa sindrom Down (Mafla, Benavides, Meyer, Giraudeau, & Schwendicke, 2022;Triswanti, 2016). Pengendalian plak pada sindrom Down dapat dioptimalkan dengan memodifikasi teknik pengendalian plak menggunakan sikat gigi elektrik.…”

Evaluation of the effectiveness of herbal and non-herbal oral formulations for the prevention of oral diseases in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Good oral health is essential for overall physical and psychological well-being. While mechanical tooth brushing and dental flossing are necessary, they may not be sufficient for many children due to factors such as lack of dexterity, motivation, and parental supervision, which can limit their effectiveness 1 . The use of chemotherapeutic agents in mouth rinses can aid in mechanical plaque removal and promote an oral environment free of dental caries and periodontal disease in children 2 .…”

“…Fluoride-containing dentifrice has been proven effective in reducing the microbial count 7 . ______________________________________________ 1 Post Graduate Student, 2 Professor and Head, 3 Professor, Department of Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry, 4 Lecturer, Department of Periodontology, KAHER'S KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences, Belagavi, India *Correspondence: dr.hugarsm@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3657-6709 (Received on 20 November 2023: Accepted after revision on 13 December 2023) The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest Personal funding was used for the project.…”