title: A comparison of plaque removal effectiveness of an electric versus a manual toothbrush in children.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the plaque-removing efficacy of an electric brush (Philips HP550) in comparison with a manual brush (Butler Gum 111) in five- to ten-year-old uninstructed children. The sample included twenty-three children who were divided into two groups, each group brushing for four weeks with the assigned brush at home. After this period children were asked to brush for two minutes in a dental clinic. Plaque was scored according to the Turesky modified Quigley and Hein Index before and after brushing. Analysis shows that plaque reduction with the electric brush is significantly better than with the manual brush: 46 percent versus 25 percent reduction, respectively. Results are most marked for the lingual posterior areas. Results further indicate that using an electric brush, plaque is reduced more evenly over the dentition. Participants without previous experience with powered toothbrushes showed no problem in adapting to the electric brush.
authors.affiliation: Philips Research, Personal Care Institute, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Jongenelis
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wiedemann
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000628:therapy*; D004560:Electricity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D013997:Time Factors; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data