Electric and Manual Oral Hygiene Routines Affect Plaque Index Score Differently

This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the oral hygiene behaviors in the general population and identify factors affecting oral hygiene behaviors and plaque removal efficacy. A survey was distributed to patients through 11 dental practices in Japan, and each patient's plaque index score (PIS) was recorded. In total, 1184 patients participated (521 women and 660 men), with 84.04% using manual toothbrushes (MTBs) and 15.96% using electric toothbrushes (ETBs). ETB users had a significantly lower PIS compared to MTB users ( p = 0.0017). In addition, a statistically significant difference in the PIS was detected in relation to the frequency of brushing per day (≥2 times) and time spent on brushing (≥1 min). Some MTB users spent less than 1 min brushing, while all ETB users spent at least 1 min brushing, and extended brushing periods significantly improved the PIS for the MTB users. MTB users tend to replace brush heads more frequently than ETB users, and the frequency of replacement affected the PIS significantly ( p p < 0.01). The ETB was more effective than the MTB in terms of better plaque removal and reduced frequency of brush head replacement

Affect (linguistics · Brush · Dental plaque · Environmental health · Hygiene · Oral hygiene · Pathology · Population · Significant difference · Tooth brushing · Toothbrush · Dental Health and Care Utilization · Dentistry · Medicine · Oral Health Pathology and Treatment · Oral microbiology and periodontitis research · Psychology · Internal Medicine