In:
BMC Oral Health, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Vol. 22, No. 1 ( 2022-12-22)
Abstract:
School children are in a developmental period in which permanent teeth replace primary dentition. It is also a period with a high incidence of gingivitis and caries, which can be improved with adequate tooth brushing. Advances in information technology have led to the development of smart health devices that assist in tooth brushing. We compared the effectiveness of computer-assisted toothbrushing using a toothbrushing instruction (TBI) method called the smart toothbrush and smart mirror (STM) system with that of conventional TBI (verbal instructions) for plaque control in school children. Methods This randomized controlled clinical trial analyzed and compared the reduction of the modified Quigley-Hein plaque index between the two methods in 42 school children. The participants were randomly assigned to the STM system group (n = 21) or conventional-TBI group (n = 21). The plaque indices were evaluated at baseline, immediately after TBI (day 0), and 1 week and 1 month after TBI. Results The STM system and conventional TBI led to an average reduction of 40.50% and 40.57%, respectively, in whole mouth plaque. Reductions in the plaque indices within each tested time period were observed in both groups ( P 〈 0.001), and the mean plaque reduction did not differ between the two groups ( P = 0.44). Conclusions The present study tested a computer assisted system for TBI, more studies are needed to confirm its usefulness in different objectives. Clinical relevance The computer-assisted STM system may be an alternative of TBI for children. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04627324) Registered 13/11/2020—Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04627324 .
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1472-6831
DOI:
10.1186/s12903-022-02665-6
Language:
English
Publisher:
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2091511-1
