title: A two-month study of the effects of oral irrigation and automatic toothbrush use in an adult orthodontic population with fixed appliances.
abstract: Forty-seven adult orthodontic patients with fixed orthodontic appliances were divided into three study groups: (1) oral irrigation with automatic toothbrush, (n = 16); (2) oral irrigation with manual toothbrushing, (n = 16); (3) control group with continued normal toothbrushing only, (n = 15). Gingival and plaque indices, bleeding after probing, and gingival sulcus depths were assessed at baseline, 1-month, and 2-month periods. Marked and significant gingival and plaque improvements from baseline were measured in all three study groups. After 1 to 2 months use of the automatic toothbrush and/or the oral irrigation device, there was a significant reduction in plaque when compared with the control group who used only the manual toothbrush (p = 0.026). Also, there was a significant reduction in gingival inflammation (p = 0.045) and evidence for reducing bleeding after probing (p = 0.037). No significant differences were found in probe depths among the three study groups, however, use of both devices reduced the pocket depth significantly from baseline by 0.5 mm (p < 0.0002). For this population of orthodontic patients, significant reductions in plaque, gingival inflammation, and a tendency for reduced bleeding after probing occurred in both groups with the power device. These improvements were most attributable to the effect of the oral irrigation device.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, Ohio State University, Columbus.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Burch
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lanese
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ngan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003742:Dental Devices, Home Care; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000517:prevention & control; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005888:Gingival Pocket / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000295:instrumentation; D009967:Orthodontic Appliances; D010512:Periodontal Index; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation; D013997:Time Factors; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation*