Research Information System
Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, vol.14, no.2, pp.170-177, 2023 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Objective: A comparative evaluation of the plaque removal efficacy of manual, electric, and chewable toothbrushes. Material-Method: Our randomized and examiner-blinded clinical study involved 90 dental students. The students were divided into three groups: manual, electric, and chewable toothbrush users. The plaque removal efficiency of the brushes was evaluated using the Turesky modification of the Quigley–Hein Index (TMQHI). Results: Ninety participants, consisting of 32 males and 58 females, aged between 21 and 23 years (average age 220.47) were included in the study. The mean TMQHI score before brushing was 2.4±0.49 in the manual brushing group, 1.81±0.61 in the electric toothbrush group, and 1.93±0.6 in the chewable brush group. The mean for the manual brushing group was thus higher than that of the other two groups (p<0.001). The mean TMQHI score after brushing was 1.37±0.43 in the manual brushing group, 0.91±0.52 in the electric toothbrush group, and 1.31±0.67 in the chewable brush group. The effectiveness of the chewable brush in plaque removal in all regions of the mouth was lower than that of the other two (p<0.001). There was no statistical difference between the manual and electric toothbrushes. Conclusion: The plaque removal efficiency of the chewable toothbrush was found to be lower than that of the electric and manual toothbrushes.