Efficacy of a sonic toothbrush for plaque removal by caregivers in a special needs population.
Oral hygiene and oral health are a major concern for long-term-care facility residents who are unable to care for themselves. In this six-week study, the efficacy of a sonic toothbrush (Sonicare) was compared with traditional manual brushing in a setting where hygiene care was provided by caregivers. Evaluations of plaque levels were made at baseline and at 2, 4, and 6 weeks according to the Silness and Löe index. The sonic brush was found to be significantly superior to the manual brush over the trial period (MANCOVA; p = 0.026). Plaque reduction at 6 weeks was found to be 38% with the sonic brush and 6% with the manual brush. The results indicate that the sonic brush may be an effective way to provide improved oral health to nursing home subjects when oral care is caregiver-provided.
Day
J
J
University of Washington School of Dentistry, Department of Oral Medicine, Seattle 98195, USA.
Martin
M D
MD
Chin
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D017028:Caregivers; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill / Q000295:instrumentation; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000628:therapy*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D013010:Sonication / Q000295:instrumentation; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation*