Efficiency of chewable toothbrush in reduction of dental plaque in students

Abstract

Background Besides classical and electrical toothbrushes market offers tooth brushes that can be chewed, like chewing gums. The aim of this study was to show the effectiveness of chewable toothbrush versus a conventional brush in the students’ population. Methods The prospective study included 346 students. For this research, we used a e-questionnaire for “smart” phones, that students completed outside the dental office. Respondents are divided into two groups: control group used conventional toothbrushes, respondents from the tested group used chewable toothbrush. For assessment of accumulation of the plaque we used TQHI index. For testing statistical hypotheses, the following were used: t-test for two independent samples and analysis of the variance of repeated measurements. Results Before brushing teeth, the average TQHI value for chewable brushes is 2.8 ± 0.3, while conventional is 2.7 ± 0.3, which is not a statistically significant difference ( p = 0.448). After brushing teeth, the average TQHI value for chewable brushes is 2.0 ± 0.1, while conventional 2.0 ± 0.3, which is also not statistically significant ( p = 0.729). Observing the index of the plaque values on the tooth surfaces in the upper jaw, in both groups, there was a statistically significant change in the amount of plaque in time ( p < 0.001). There is a statistically significant interaction between groups and changes in the amount of plaque in the observed period ( p = 0.013). Conclusions The fact that there is no significant difference in the effectiveness of the tested brushes indicates the benefits of using chewable toothbrushes in order to reduce plaque, primarily in the inability to use conventional brushes.

Plaque removal efficiency of chewable toothbrushes among 10–12-year-old children: A randomized control trial

“…[ 15 ] However, very few studies have been conducted on the use of chewable toothbrushes in children. [ 7 8 9 10 ] The chewable toothbrush used in this present study was a modified version of a toothbrush that effectively reduces dental plaque using a masticatory motion, without the use of hands, unlike manual toothbrushes. Myoken et al [ 7 ] and Bezgin et al [ 8 ] compared chewable and manual toothbrushes and reported dental plaque reduction.…”

“…TMQHI measures labial, buccal, and lingual surfaces of all teeth in contrast to the OHI-S which is a simplified index used to measure only six representative teeth. [ 9 ] Both OHI-S index and Plaque Index (TMQHI) were used for a more reliable assessment and better accuracy. [ 10 ] It was found that there was a significant improvement in the oral hygiene of children after using chewable brushes.…”

“…Myoken et al [ 7 ] reported a significant amount of plaque removal with the use chewable toothbrushes in a care-dependent elderly population. Bezgin et al [ 8 ] and Rasa et al [ 9 ] documented comparable plaque removal efficiency in chewable and manual toothbrushes in their pilot study on 10–12-year-oldchildren. On the contrary, Kayalvizhi et al [ 10 ] found chewable toothbrushes to be more efficient than manual toothbrushes in their clinical trial conducted on 8–10-year-old children.…”

Development of Simulation Methods in Biomedical Sciences - From Phantoms to Virtual Patients

“…Undoubtedly, the use of mobile devices pervades the field of biomedical education in the form of simulation models, complementing conventional teaching. Numerous mobile applications can transform the medical environment and positively impact student education while also allowing students to learn at their own pace (17)(18)(19)(20). The usage of computers and mobile learning devices usually requires students to follow the content without direct or indirect supervision of teachers, and occupies a special place in distance learning, both in the transfer of knowledge in remote areas and during emergencies and pandemics (21).…”

The effect of a mobile application for learning about traumatic dental injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…With growing utilization of smartphone technology, both for personal and professional purposes [4], mobile learning (m-learning) has developed as a new research branch of e-learning, in which mobile devices are used during the learning process [5]. With numerous entertainment-oriented applications available online, teachers have a challenging task in finding creative ways to display educational content.…”