Abstract
This study was performed to know the effect of different toothbrushing methods on plaque removal, using some kinds of toothbrushes. Six toothbrushing methods were evaluated. Two kinds of electric toothbrushes were tested too.
Forty-two adults who had a normal dentition and clinically healthy periodontal tissue, aged 20 to 34, 36 males and 6 females, were served as the subject of this study. Plaque score was calculated with the modified Vole's method which Suzuki et al. reported before. Scoring of plaque was restricted to the six teeth (6/41|14/6).
The averages of the percentage of plaque removal on total (lingual and labial) tooth surfaces with different toothbrushing methods were as follows: (1) 75.2%; Fones method with hard brush, (2) 71.7%; Scrubbing method with hard brush, (3) 67.4%; Modified Stillman's method with hard brush, (4) 64.7%; National electric toothbrush with soft brush, (5) 62.9%; Roll method with hard brush, (6) 58.1%; Charters method with medium brush, (7) 55.2%; Bass method with medium brush. The similar tendency was obtained when plaque removal was evaluated on labial, lingual and papillary tooth surfaces independently.
Hard brush was more effective for plaque removal in every brushing method.
