Comparison of dental plaque reduction after use of electric toothbrushes with and without QLF-D-applied plaque visualization: a 1-week randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of a newly developed electric toothbrush in reducing dental plaque via a quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital (QLF-D)-applied visualisation system in the brush head. Methods: Participants included 20 adults aged 19 to 28 years. Participants were randomly assigned either (i) an electric toothbrush with a monitor to visualise red-fluorescent dental plaque via a camera built into the brush head (monitor usage group, n = 10) or (ii) an electric toothbrush without a monitor (monitor-non-use group, n = 10). The amount of dental plaque was assessed by personal hygiene performance (PHP) at baseline and 1 week later. Results: In the monitor-usage group, PHP score was significantly lower at the 1-week follow-up than at baseline (6 vs 16; range, 0-12 vs 13-21; P = 0.029). This change was not observed in the monitor-non-use group (14 vs 13; range, 6-21 vs 2-26; P = 0.778). After 1 week, the change in PHP scores in the monitor usage group was significantly greater than that in the monitor non-use group (− 10 vs 0; range, − 21 to 9 vs − 8 to 16; P = 0.021). Conclusions: Our results clearly demonstrate that brushing teeth while looking at a monitor that depicts red-autofluorescent dental plaque via application of QLF-D improved the efficacy of dental-plaque removal relative to brushing teeth without a monitor. Trial registration: Trial registration number: UMIN000033699. Name of registry: Study on effect of new devise for oral care on dental plaque clearance. Date of registration: 8th September 2018. Status of registration: Completed.

Hospital Dentistry for Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Comprehensive Review

“…However, studies using the modified Oral Assessment Guide have shown that there are no differences in oral hygiene findings with different oral care methods [23,24,40]. In contrast, studies in which dental evaluation, such as plaque score, or objective evaluation, such as bacterial identification, were conducted have shown clear differences in results between various oral care methods, allowing for comparisons of the effects of oral care methods [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49].…”

“…In 2018, Singh et al evaluated plaque using fluorescence photographs to compare the effects of two oral hygiene management methods [44]. In 2020, Akifusa et al reported that brushing while visualizing plaque in real time with QLF is very effective in plaque removal [43]. QLF technology can quantify bacterial lesions in the oral cavity to evaluate the oral health and visualize the effects of oral care in real time.…”

The Influence of Diet on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Induced by Bacterial Biofilms in the Human Oral Cavity

“…Moreover, it promotes the exchange of recombinant plasmids. Once the ecosystem has been structured, it is almost impossible to change or destroy it, except through professional oral hygiene [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , ...…”

“…The same is true for Actiniomyces , but they colonize the subgingival surfaces of the tooth. These processes initiate the formation of dental plaque, which results in carious lesions [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. Sometimes the inhibition of colonization processes may stop.…”

“…Not removed for 7–10 days, it is visible on the teeth with the naked eye. It contains 70% of microorganisms (anaerobic bacteria, fungi, viruses) and 30% of an organic matrix-the “skeleton” that binds these components together [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , …”