Efficacy of Regular, Musical and Electric Toothbrushes in Plaque Removal in Children

August 4, 2024 updated by: Rakhi Issrani, Jouf University

Efficacy of Regular, Musical and Electric Toothbrushes in Plaque Removal in Children - A Randomized Clinical Trial

Tooth brushing is essential for maintaining oral hygiene, especially in children, who are at a critical stage for developing lifelong oral health habits. Establishing effective tooth brushing behaviors for school-aged children (6-12 years) is vital for long-term dental health. Consistent and effective tooth brushing is crucial for reducing supragingival plaque, which is key to preventing periodontal diseases and ensuring good oral hygiene. Despite the availability of various plaque control methods, tooth brushing remains the most effective and safest approach.

However, young children, particularly those under ten, often struggle with the dexterity and motivation needed for proper tooth brushing, resulting in inadequate plaque removal. Manual tooth brushing, though effective, can become monotonous and fail to engage children, making it difficult to establish regular brushing habits. Studies have shown that regular removal of supragingival plaque can significantly reduce both supra- and subgingival pathogenic species, underscoring the importance of effective plaque control.

Innovative solutions such as electric and musical toothbrushes have been developed to address these challenges.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Electric toothbrushes enhance plaque removal through mechanical action, while musical toothbrushes aim to boost motivation and compliance by incorporating interactive elements like music and colorful designs. Musical toothbrushes play music for two minutes, encouraging children to brush for the recommended duration and making the activity more enjoyable. Previous research has shown varying levels of success with these advanced toothbrushes. For example, one of the recent study have found that musical toothbrushes significantly improved plaque control compared to regular ones. Similarly, other studies have reported substantial plaque reduction with musical toothbrushes. Furthermore, it has been observed that while both manual and powered toothbrushes improved clinical parameters, powered toothbrushes had a more significant impact on gingival health.

Despite these promising results, there is a lack of comprehensive comparative studies on the efficacy of regular, electric, and musical toothbrushes in children. This study aimed to address this gap by conducting a randomized clinical trial to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of these three types of toothbrushes in removing supragingival plaque in children aged 6-12 years.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical study wherein the comparisons had been made between regular, musical and electric toothbrushes. The findings will provide valuable insights into the most effective tools for promoting oral hygiene in children, potentially shaping future recommendations and practices in pediatric dentistry.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

111

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Saudi Arabia
    • Al-Jouf
      • Sakaka, Al-Jouf, Saudi Arabia, 75432
        • College of Dentistry, Jouf University

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 6-12 years;
  • Cooperative children; and
  • Children with a minimum of twenty teeth

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children with poor oral hygiene characterized by extrinsic stains or calculus deposits;
  • Presence of any oral lesions;
  • Presence of malocclusion; and
  • Medically compromised patients

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Regular Toothbrush
Oral-B Chhota Bheem Toothbrush.
Device: Regular Toothbrush
Participants and their guardians will be instructed in the horizontal scrub technique and asked to adhere to a brushing regimen of two minutes, twice daily, for 45 days. Standard fluoride toothpaste and a diary for recording brushing experiences will also provided. Guardians will be supervised brushing to ensure compliance and prevent the use of other oral hygiene measures.
Active Comparator: Musical Toothbrush
Aqua White Musical Chhota Bheem Toothbrush.
Device: Musical toothbrush
Participants and their guardians will be instructed in the horizontal scrub technique and asked to adhere to a brushing regimen of two minutes, twice daily, for 45 days. Standard fluoride toothpaste and a diary for recording brushing experiences will also provided. Guardians will be supervised brushing to ensure compliance and prevent the use of other oral hygiene measures.
Active Comparator: Electric Toothbrush
Oral-B Star Wars Kids Electric Toothbrush.
Device: Electric toothbrush
Participants and their guardians will be instructed in the horizontal scrub technique and asked to adhere to a brushing regimen of two minutes, twice daily, for 45 days. Standard fluoride toothpaste and a diary for recording brushing experiences will also provided. Guardians will be supervised brushing to ensure compliance and prevent the use of other oral hygiene measures.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Plaque Index (Quigley and Hein)
Time Frame: 45 days

Plaque assessments was conducted at baseline (day 0) and on days 15, 30, and 45. Participants were refrain from oral hygiene for 24 hours before each recall visit. During each visit, they were supposed to brush under supervision for two minutes with their assigned toothbrush and toothpaste. Plaque disclosure was achieved using a 5 mL disclosing solution for 15 seconds, followed by rinsing with 10 mL water for 10 seconds.

Quigley-Hain plaque index

0

No plaque

1

Isolated flecks of plaque at the gingival margin

2

A continuous band of plaque up to 1mm at the gingival margin

3

Plaque greater than 1mm in width and covering up to one third of the tooth surface

4

Plaque covering from one thirds to two thirds of the tooth surface

5

Plaque covering more than two thirds of the tooth surface
45 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Jouf University

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Namdeo Prabhu, MDS, College of Dentistry, Jouf University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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 (Actual)

January 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 17, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 4, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

August 7, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 7, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 4, 2024

Last Verified

August 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • (DGSSR-2023-01-02524)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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