Evaluation and Comparison of the Effectiveness of Three Different Types of Toothbrushes associated with other Means of Plaque Control in Patients Undergoing Corrective Orthodontic Treatment

Osmar Aparecido CUOGHI, Tien LI AN, Francisco Antônio BERTOZ, Eduardo César Almada SANTOS, Marcos Rogério de MENDONÇA

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 3 different types of toothbrushes for patients with fixed orthodontic appliance. Besides, the use of dental floss and antiseptic solution was evaluated as coadjuvant for plaque control in these patients. The 3 experimental groups each used a different toothbrush: Kolynos Doctor Cabeça Compacta (KCC), Kolynos Master Macia (KMM), and Kolynos Doctor Flexível (KF). The control group used the toothbrush of their choice as long as it was not of the experimental type. There were 14 patients for each group, and the research was divided into 4 sessions of 10 days each. In the first session, each patient received instructions on toothbrushing techniques. In the second session, instruction of flossing was added and in the third session, the patient were given an antiseptic solution to use with toothbrushing and flossing. In the fourth session, a final evaluation was performed. Scores of gingival and plaque indices were recorded in each patient. The mean scores of improvement were calculated and evaluated using variance analysis with a SAS program. All the Groups presented similar mean gingival indices. For the mean plaque indices, the first experimental group exhibited the most improvement, the mean plaque score went from 3,08 at time zero to 1,73 at the fourth session. The second and third experimental groups showed similar results, while the rate of decrease in mean plaque scores formed in the control group slowed after the third session. Although clinical differences were found, they were not statistically significant. This study demonstrated that there were no statistical differences in the effectiveness among the different toothbrushes.

Keywords: Dental Plaque. Mouth-washes. Oral Hygiene. Orthodontics. Toothbrush.

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