Electric and Manual Oral Hygiene Routines Affect Plaque Index Score Differently

This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the oral hygiene behaviors in the general population and identify factors affecting oral hygiene behaviors and plaque removal efficacy. A survey was distributed to patients through 11 dental practices in Japan, and each patient’s plaque index score (PIS) was recorded. In total, 1184 patients participated (521 women and 660 men), with 84.04% using manual toothbrushes (MTBs) and 15.96% using electric toothbrushes (ETBs). ETB users had a significantly lower PIS compared to MTB users (p = 0.0017). In addition, a statistically significant difference in the PIS was detected in relation to the frequency of brushing per day (≥2 times) and time spent on brushing (≥1 min). Some MTB users spent less than 1 min brushing, while all ETB users spent at least 1 min brushing, and extended brushing periods significantly improved the PIS for the MTB users. MTB users tend to replace brush heads more frequently than ETB users, and the frequency of replacement affected the PIS significantly (p < 0.01) for the MTB users. The status of dental treatment (first visit, in treatment versus recall) also significantly affected the PIS (p < 0.01). The ETB was more effective than the MTB in terms of better plaque removal and reduced frequency of brush head replacement.

Plaque Removal Efficacy of Dental floss Compare to Water Jet Following Single Use

Background: Dental plaque (biofilm) is a well-known contributor to the onset and progression of many dental illnesses. Plaque is a natural biofilm that develops on oral surfaces and contains a wide variety of organisms. As a result, it is critical to control plaque formation, particularly in the young population, by implementing effective preventive strategies. Objective: To assess and compare plaque removal efficacy of water flosser and string floss in patients. Study design: Randomized controlled trial Place and Duration of study: Department of Periodontology, Sardar Begum Dental College, Gandhara University from 1st March 2019 to 31st May 2019. Methodology: Seventy patients were enrolled. Patients were randomly allocated to one of two groups, group A (using dental floss) as the control group and group B (using waterpik) as the intervention group, using the lottery technique. Patients were randomly allocated to one of two groups, group A (control group), using dental floss and group B (intervention group), using waterpik utilizing the lottery technique. All participants were taught correct brushing technique utilizing the Modified Bass technique and manufacturer's instructions for using waterpik as well as normal flossing instructions for using Dental floss. Results: The mean age presentation was 34.23±6.78 years. The females were 42 (60%) males were 28 (40%). The mean percentage showed that those using water flosser with tooth brushing had low plaque score than using string floss with tooth brushing. The independent t test showed that water flosser is significantly more effective (p=0.001) in plaque reduction than conventional string floss. Conclusion: A water flosser coupled with hand brushing is more effective in eliminating plaque than string floss. Plaque removal was 20-30% higher in the group that used a water flosser. Key words: Efficacy, Dental floss, Water jet

Microbiological and clinical evaluation of ultrasonic debridement with/without erythritol air polishing during supportive periodontal therapy in arches with full-arch fixed implant-supported prostheses: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

IntroductionImplant-supported prostheses are often successfully used in edentulous patients. However, the incidences of peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis increase over time. The accumulation of pathogenic bacteria adjacent to prostheses can induce peri-implant disease. Plaque removal is recommended to prevent and manage peri-implant diseases. The purpose of this study is to compare the plaque removal efficacy of ultrasonic debridement with/without erythritol air-polishing powder around implants and bridges in patients with full-arch fixed implant-supported prostheses as well as the effects of these two methods on the rates of peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis, and the submucosal microbiota composition over 5 years in patients undergoing supportive periodontal therapy.Methods and analysisWe plan to enrol 10 edentulous (maxilla and/or mandible) patients seeking full-arch fixed implant-supported prostheses. The study will use a split-mouth model in which contralateral quadrants are randomly assigned to two groups. Group 1: one contralateral quadrant of full-arch fixed implant-supported prostheses will undergo ultrasonic debridement combined with erythritol air-polishing powder. Group 2: a separate contralateral quadrant of full-arch fixed implant-supported prostheses will undergo ultrasonic debridement. The 5-year trial will involve a total of 10 re-examinations per participant. The mucosal conditions around the implants will be recorded at 6-month intervals after restoration. Peri-implant submucosal plaque will be collected at each re-examination, and the bacterial flora will be analysed by 16s ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. X-ray examinations will be conducted at 12-month intervals to evaluate the marginal bone level around implants.Ethics and disseminationThis prospective single-centre, randomised controlled trial (PKUSSIRB-202054045) has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Stomatology School and Hospital of Peking University. Data will be registered with the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Additionally, we will disseminate the results via publication in scientific journals.Trial registration numberChiCTR-2000032431.

Impact of Toothbrush Age on Clinical Indicators of Oral Health, a Protocol for a Systematic Review

Background: Dental caries is the most common chronic untreated disease worldwide. The simplest and most important factor in preventing dental caries is maintaining oral hygiene and removing microbial plaque using a toothbrush. Despite the relationship between toothbrush filament wear and plaque removal effectiveness as a potentially important factor in maintaining oral health, there is little objective standard evidence as to 1) what constitutes a worn-out brush and 2) the degree of loss in plaque removal effectiveness due to brush wear. Contradictions in the results of studies on toothbrushing and the loss of its effectiveness in removing plaque based on the time spent using the toothbrush have led to conflicting recommendations for changing toothbrushes after different periods. While some studies generally question the relationship between toothbrush age and effectiveness. The lack of comprehensive evidence in this area necessitates a structured review study.Methods: We will search the electronic databases ISI, Scopus, and PubMed to find related articles. Our main inclusion criterion is Clinical trial and observational studies investigating manual toothbrush longevity in the natural toothbrush-worn model on each objective indicator of oral health (including plaque removal and gingival indices ...). All funded citations are entered into the Endnote software. the full texts of potentially relevant studies are prepared. study selection and extracting the data will be performed by two reviewers. Also, the studies quality will be assessed. The findings will be displayed using figures, summary tables and narrative summaries. If the similarity of studies and their quality is desirable, meta-analysis will be performed. We will assess the heterogeneity on the bias of the magnitude of heterogeneity variance parameter. We are also going to conduct subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis if needed.Discussion: The final systematic review highlights the gaps in the available evidence about the effectiveness of toothbrush longevity on each oral indices to provide the best recommendation for toothbrush renewal periods. Registration: The review subject has been submitted in PROSPERO database

Plaque Removal Efficacy of Chewing Apples and Tooth-Brushing: A Comparative Cross Over Clinical Study

Background: The best and the most reliable methods to manage the dental plaque are still mechanical procedures. It has been traditionally recommended that a firm fruit such as an apple be eaten to minimize caries and control plaque at the end of a meal. However, several studies have reported contradictory findings about the microbial plaque function of the apples. Some studies, for instance, have found that apples contain sugar and, therefore, can cause plaque growth; some other researches, on the other hand, have shown that they have the potential to decrease plaque due to their mechanical plaque removal function. This study, therefore, aimed to compare the effects of apple-chewing method and that of tooth-brushing one on plaque removal. Methods: The study group included 48 healthy dental students with good oral health status, who were randomly selected to participate in this comparative, crossover clinical study. First, they were asked to brush their teeth or eat an apple. After 2 weeks, the experiment was repeated with the order reversed. Plaque indexes (PIs) were determined as before brushing/apple eating (baseline, B), immediately afterward (A), and 24 hours afterward (24). Results: Over time, there was a significant shift in the plaque index pattern between the groups (P value<0.001) but this discrepancy, in general, was not significant between the group using apple and the one using toothbrush (P value =0.495), as well as between the group using yellow apples, and the ones using red apples or the toothbrushes (P value =0.768). Conclusions: Comparing the two plaque control methods, it was found they were extremely similar; however, chewing yellow apples was discovered to be more effective method in reducing dental plaque than chewing red apples or using toothbrushes.