Longitudinal study to assess the effectivity of electric and manual toothbrushes for children

Prophylaxis efforts for the maintenance of tooth health led to a distinctive decrease in caries frequency with children and young persons. Because the toothbrush can still be described as the most important oral hygiene aid, possible differences between the effectivity of electric and manual toothbrushes should be tested in the present study. Elementary school children had been instructed--within a special prophylaxis program--over a period of three years to clean their teeth partly with electric partly with manual toothbrushes.

In two parallel classes (1st class) of the same elementary school (Private Martinusschule Mainz-Gonsenheim) the A-class (n = 24 children) was instructed to clean their teeth with a manual toothbrush suitable for children (Oral-B, Power Tip, Braun AG, Kronberg, Germany) whereas the B-class (n = 26) received electric toothbrushes (Oral-B-7 EB 5 K, Braun AG, Kronberg, Germany). Every three months the children were instructed in group-preventive methods in school, followed by cleaning instructions, remotivations and the distribution of new electric respectively manual toothbrushes. In order to record the influence of the intensive quarterly oral hygiene instruction, elementary school children (1st class) of the same school type were looked after and examined within the yearly group prophylaxis (n = 40). The yearly dental examinations included the recording of carious frequency (DMF-T, dmf-t), approximal plaque accumulation (API), and the evaluation of the gingival state (GI-Index) as well as the present dental restorative materials.

After an investigation period of three years no essential differences regarding caries frequency, proportion of dentitions of natural state of health and plaque involvement were found with the children of the respective classes. Children using electric toothbrushes showed after 3 years 27% of healthy-natured dentitions on average (46% of the children had got API-values of up to 30%) and the children who used manual toothbrushes showed 22% of nature-healthy dentitions (52% of the children had got API-values of up to 30%) and in 33% of the control children who received instructions only once a year healthy-natured dentitions were found after 3 years (75% of the children had got API-values of up to 35%).

With regard to caries and gingivitis prevalence modern electric toothbrushes for children can be considered equally efficient like conventional manual toothbrushes for children with children of normal caries risk.