Effectiveness of children's habitual toothbrushing

Abstract

Individual toothbrushing habits are usually consistent. Frequency, pattern and duration are different aspects of the toothbrushing habit. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of habitual toothbrushing in children. The schoolchildren (n = 110) aged 13, were examined clinically before and after brushing their teeth in the habitual way; the brushing procedure was filmed without the children's knowledge. From the film, the pattern of brushing was assessed by three dentists, and the duration measured in seconds. Frequency of toothbrushing was assessed by postal questionnaire 2 months after the clinical examination. The examination included both photographed plaque and disclosed plaque diagnosed clinically. From the photographs, plaque was measured by computer planimeter as a % of plaque area and clinically by the oral debris index recommended by WHO. Subjects who had little plaque before toothbrushing were excluded from the analyses. Frequency seemed to affect plaque removal only in boys and only in the maxillary teeth. The pattern affected plaque removal in girls, but for boys, this aspect of toothbrushing affected only the left side of the jaws. Duration had produced the strongest effect on plaque removal. Therefore, duration of toothbrushing should be emphasized more in dental health education.

Effect of toothbrush grip on plaque removal during manual toothbrushing in children

“…Video techniques are commonly used in developmental psychology (11) but have rarely been used in dental research. Previous research using video recordings of toothbrushing sessions involved young adults or schoolchildren who were unaware that they were being filmed (12)(13)(14)(15). Beals et al (16) documented the interaction between the human hand and toothbrush during a toothbrushing session.…”

Tooth-Brushing Practices of Parents and Toddlers: A Study of Home-Based Videotaped Sessions

“…Video techniques are commonly used within developmental psychology [e.g., Reissland et al, 2003] but have rarely been utilized within dental research. Previous work analysing video recordings of tooth-brushing sessions has involved young adults or schoolchildren who were unaware that they were being filmed [Rugg-Gunn and Macgregor, 1978;Macgregor and Rugg-Gunn, 1979a, b;Rugg-Gunn et al, 1979;Honkala, 1984;Honkala et al, 1986;Macgregor and Rugg-Gunn, 1986]. There appear to be no reports in the literature of videotaping of home tooth-brushing sessions involving toddlers (1-to 3-year-olds).…”

Programme guidelines for promoting good oral health for children in Nigeria: a position paper

“…There were non-statistical differences in the oral hygiene scores of children who brush once a day compared with those who brush twice a day [33]. The importance of tooth brushing efficacy over tooth brushing frequency in reducing the risk for caries had been earlier highlighted [41, 42]. Honkala et al [41] however noted that the amount of time spent brushing is more closely related to effectiveness of plaque removal than frequency of tooth brushing.…”

“…The importance of tooth brushing efficacy over tooth brushing frequency in reducing the risk for caries had been earlier highlighted [41, 42]. Honkala et al [41] however noted that the amount of time spent brushing is more closely related to effectiveness of plaque removal than frequency of tooth brushing. Studies show that the practice of twice daily tooth brushing [32, 39] and the use of dental floss by pupils in Nigeria are low [32].…”