MedPath

Effectiveness of T-shaped Toothbrush

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Oral Hygiene
Interventions
Behavioral: Brushing demonstration using conventional toothbrush
Behavioral: Brushing demonstration using T shaped toothbrush
Registration Number
NCT03989479
Lead Sponsor
University of Malaya
Brief Summary

This study evaluated the effectiveness of two manual toothbrushes, the T-shaped toothbrush (Denson™, Malaysia) and a conventional toothbrush (Kid's Soft Toothbrush, Colgate) in removing plaque and maintaining gingival health among 8-10-year old children.

Brushing demonstration was provided at baseline and reinforced at 2 weeks and 1 month interval.Plaque scores and gingival scores were measured at 2 weeks and 1 month and 3 months

Detailed Description

T-shaped toothbrush (Denson™, Malaysia) was introduced that is designed to efficiently clean and reduce gingival inflammation. Unlike most common conventional manual toothbrush, this new toothbrush was designed to employ a vertical motion on all tooth surfaces which simulates the natural up and down movement of the hand, suggesting that this makes the brushing process to be more controlled and stable.

One hundred and ten participants were assigned randomly to conventional toothbrush (Kid's Soft Toothbrush, Colgate) as a control group, while another half were assigned the T-shaped toothbrush (Denson™, Malaysia) as an experimental group.

Gingival status was scored using the Loe and Silness Gingival Index 25. The amount of plaque was scored using the modified Quigley and Hein Plaque Index (TQHI) 26. Both indices were recorded at 6 sites around all the teeth (mesiobuccal, midbuccal, distobuccal, mesiopalatal, midpalatal, distopalatal). All teeth were included except teeth with prosthetic crowns or cervical restorations.

One hundred children completed the study.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
100
Inclusion Criteria
  • good systemic health
  • normal motor and cognitive development
Exclusion Criteria
  • acute intraoral lesion
  • history of antibiotic and/ or antiseptic therapy in the past one month
  • interproximal caries or restorations
  • 3 or more missing teeth in one quadrant

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Conventional ToothbrushBrushing demonstration using conventional toothbrushBrushing with conventional Kid's Soft Toothbrush, Colgate (5-9-year-old)
T-shaped ToothbrushBrushing demonstration using T shaped toothbrushBrushing with T-shaped toothbrush (Denson™, Malaysia)
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Plaque score3 months

Plaque score measurement performed at baseline, after 2 weeks, 1 month and 3 months.

Plaque score measurement (amount of plaque) was recorded on both the buccal and lingual sides of all teeth using the modified Quigley and Hein Plaque Index (Turesky et al., 1970) {0-no plaque present, 1- separate flecks of plaque at the cervical margin, 2- a thin, continous band of plaque at the cervical margin, 3- a band of plaque wider than 1mm but covering less than 1/3 of the surface, 4- plaque covering at least 1/3 but less than 2/3 of the surface, 5- plaque covering more than 2/3 of the surface}. Each tooth was scored in six areas: mesiofacial, midfacial, distofacial, mesiolingual, midlingual and distolingual. The minimum and maximum score per tooth was 0 and 30. The scores for each participant was summed and divided by the total number of measurements (number of teeth scored multiplied by six). Higher scores indicated worse outcome.

Gingival status3 months

Gingival status measurement performed at baseline, after 2 weeks, 1 month and 3 months.

Gingival status (gingival inflammation) was scored using the Loe and Silness (Loe \& Silness, 1963) {0-absence of inflammation, 1- mild inflammation, 2- moderate inflammation, 3- severe inflammation}. Each tooth was scored in six areas: mesiofacial, midfacial, distofacial, mesiolingual, midlingual and distolingual. The minimum and maximum score per tooth was 0 and 18. The scores for each participant was calculated by adding all the individual plaque scores and dividing this sum by the total number of measurements (number of teeth scored multiplied by six). Higher scores indicated worse outcome

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath