Plaque Removal in Children Using Charcoal and Nylon Toothbrushes

April 27, 2026 updated by: Mennatullah Yasser Sayed Abou El Enein, Cairo University

Efficacy of Plaque Removal and Antibacterial Properties of Charcoal Infused Bristle Vs Nylon Bristle Toothbrushes in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial

This study will compare two types of toothbrushes in children: a charcoal-infused bristle toothbrush and a regular nylon bristle toothbrush. We want to see which toothbrush is better at removing plaque and reducing bacteria in the mouth. Children will be randomly assigned to use one of the toothbrushes. We will measure the levels of bacteria in small samples of fluid taken from the gums to see if one toothbrush reduces harmful bacteria more than the other.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study is a clinical trial designed to compare the effectiveness of two types of toothbrushes in children aged 6-10. One group of children will use a toothbrush with charcoal-infused bristles, while the other group will use a standard nylon bristle toothbrush. All children will be taught the same brushing technique and will brush their teeth twice daily for two minutes using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.The study will last two weeks. Researchers will measure four times how much dental plaque is removed from each child's teeth, collect samples from the gums to examine bacteria, and test the toothbrush bristles for bacterial contamination by counting bacterial colonies.The goal is to determine which toothbrush is better at cleaning teeth and reducing harmful bacteria in the mouth.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • ● Children aged 6 to 10 years.

    • Medically free patients with no physical disability.
    • Patients must have proper oral hygiene.
    • Cooperative patients who will comply with follow-ups.
    • Parents who accept to sign informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • ● Children with a medical condition or physical disability,

    • Children undergoing antibiotic treatment
    • Children with crowding, fixed or removable orthodontic appliances.
    • Children with pre-shedding mobile teeth were excluded from study.
    • Children who will be unable to attend follow-up visits.
    • Parents refuse to give written formed consent.
    • Presence of painful teeth.
    • Presence of active carious lesions

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Charcoal-Infused Bristle Toothbrush
Children in this arm will use a soft charcoal-infused bristle toothbrush twice daily for two minutes each time, using a pea-sized amount of fluoride-free toothpaste (Dabur Herb'l, India). Participants will be trained in the horizontal scrub technique and instructed on proper toothbrush storage to minimize bacterial contamination.
Device: soft charcoal infused bristle toothbrush (iLive) with bamboo handle
manual toothbrush with soft charcoal infused bristles designed fordaily oral hygiene measures. Participants will be instructed to brush twice daily for two minutes using herbal toothpaste
Active Comparator: Nylon Bristle Toothbrush
Children in this arm will use a soft nylon bristle toothbrush twice daily for two minutes each time, using a pea-sized amount of fluoride-free toothpaste Participants will be trained in the horizontal scrub technique and instructed on proper toothbrush storage to minimize bacterial contamination.
Device: soft nylon bristle toothbrush (Oral B JUNIOR 6-12)
Manual toothbrush with soft nylon bristles designed for daily oral hygiene measures. Participants will be instructed to brush twice daily for two minutes using herbal toothpaste

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in full-mouth plaque score assessed by O'Leary Plaque Control Index from baseline to 2 weeks
Time Frame: aseline, immediately after training, 1 week, and 2 weeks post-training
Full-mouth plaque score will be measured using the O'Leary Plaque Control Index at four time points: baseline (before training), immediately after training, one week, and two weeks post-training. Each tooth surface (mesial, distal, buccal, and lingual) will be examined. The plaque score will be expressed as the percentage of plaque-containing surfaces relative to the total number of surfaces examined
aseline, immediately after training, 1 week, and 2 weeks post-training

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Cairo University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 27, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CU-PD-RCT-CHARCOAL-2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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