New Instrument for Oral Hygiene of Children with Cleft Lip and Palate

Abstract

Abstract:Patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) have several oral alterations that make the removal of bacterial plaque in the cleft area difficult, which is the main cause of the high incidence of oral health problems. The aim of this study is to develop a toothbrush especially designed to perform the hygiene of the cleft area. This device, called Cleft Toothbrush, is an add-on to a conventional toothbrush to clean hard-to-reach areas that are not accessible by using conventional brush shapes. The design was made in SOLIDWORKS®(Waltham, MA, USA) 3D and a sample of this device was produced by CURAPROX (Kriens, Switzerland). The efficacy of the Cleft Toothbrush was tested in a preliminary study performed in a four years old child with CLP, compared to that of a conventional toothbrush. A significantly higher reduction of the bacterial plaque was achieved with the Cleft Toothbrush. The child's parents also felt more confident with this device, as it deals better with sensitive areas, as it did not hurt the child. This innovative toothbrush adapter appears to greatly improve the cleaning areas of high bacterial plaque retention in patients with CLP, together with excellent acceptance.

Oral hygiene of children with cleft lip and palate: Efficacy of the cleft toothbrush ‐ A designed add‐on to regular toothbrushes

“…This study tested the Cleft Toothbrush, an add‐on to regular brushes, in the removal of the dental plaque in children with CLP compared to a regular toothbrush. This device was recently developed and was especially designed taking into account the local anatomical and morphological alterations aiming to improve the oral hygiene of CLP children.…”

“…The study was outlined to evaluate the effectiveness of the previously developed add‐on Cleft Toothbrush (Figure ) in the removal of the dental plaque compared to a regular toothbrush adapted to the children age (with same size and medium hardness bristles in one side of the brush).…”

“…Clearly, a regular toothbrush does not present the appropriate features to cope with the CLP challenges. Acknowledging this clinical need, the authors reported recently the development of a device especially intended to the cleft area hygiene—the Cleft Toothbrush . This is an add‐on to a regular toothbrush that allows reaching difficult access areas compared to a regular brush (Figure ).…”

“…Preliminary results showed that the Cleft Toothbrush caused a higher reduction of the dental plaque compared to a regular toothbrush. Additionally, child and his parents expressed the great comfort and safety sensation in using this device . As the Cleft Toothbrush is an add‐on, it can fit in regular toothbrush and be used for a time period independent of the main toothbrush itself.…”

“…Acknowledging this clinical need, the authors reported recently the development of a device especially intended to the cleft area hygiene-the Cleft Toothbrush. 16 This is an add-on to a regular toothbrush that allows reaching difficult access areas compared to a regular brush ( Figure 1). The device has a round head surrounded by bristles and an arch that helps the hygiene inside the cleft.…”