Oral hygiene status and habitual toothbrushing in children.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of frequency, duration and systematicness of toothbrushing on the amount of dental plaque in school children. School children in four classes (n = 110, mean age = 13.5 years) were included. Data were collected using clinical examination and questionnaire. Data were first analyzed separately for girls and boys according to background factors and then by the components of toothbrushing, success in school, and the father's education. Boys had more plaque than girls did; the amount was influenced by background factors. Amount of plaque and frequency of toothbrushing were not clearly correlated with each other. Duration of brushing and amount of plaque, instead, were highly correlated. On the other hand, systematicness of brushing and amount of plaque were not clearly related. The results of this study indicated the need for broader evaluation of the information and methods used in oral health education in order to raise the effectiveness of habitual toothbrushing.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D013997:Time Factors; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000379:methods*