title: Establishment of a new marginal plaque index with high sensitivity for changes in oral hygiene.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although several plaque indices exist, they rarely assess in detail the plaque adjacent to the gingival margin, an area most important for periodontal health. This study aims to develop a new marginal plaque index (MPI) and to assess its validity and treatment sensitivity compared to the internationally accepted Turesky modification of the Quigley and Hein Index (TQHI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from two studies with n = 64 and n = 67 participants, respectively, are reported here. Convergence of MPI with TQHI and concurrent and predictive validity with papillary bleeding index were assessed, as was treatment sensitivity to a treatment of proximal hygiene (study 1) or toothbrushing (study 2), respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Convergent validity with TQHI is very good. Concurrent and predictive validity parameters of the MPI are similar to the TQHI. The treatment sensitivity of MPI exceeds TQHI by far. This results in a reduction by >70% of the sample size needed to discover significant treatment effects. As expected, the largest treatment sensitivity was observed for proximal MPI measures in study 1, whereas study 2 showed largest effects for cervical measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MPI appears to be a valid plaque-scoring system that assesses plaque at the gingival margin. It responds with high sensitivity to treatments aimed at plaque reduction at the gingival margin. Its treatment sensitivity and capacity to differentiate between proximal and cervical plaque make it a promising tool for periodontal research.
authors: Institute of Medical Psychology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
authors: Renate
authors: R
authors: Deinzer
authors: Stephan
authors: S
authors: Jahns
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Harnacke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003742:Dental Devices, Home Care; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000193:education; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010512:Periodontal Index; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019237:Tooth Cervix / Q000473:pathology; D019228:Tooth Crown / Q000473:pathology; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dental plaque; dental plaque index; gingivitis; oral health; oral hygiene; reproducibility of results