Tooth cleaning methods and their effectiveness among adults in rural Tanzania

This study was undertaken to investigate how various population characteristics affect the choice of different tooth cleaning methods and to estimate their role in preventing occurrence of plaque, calculus and gingivitis among rural adults in Tanzania. Two hundred adults aged 20 years and over were interviewed and clinically examined for plaque, calculus and gingival bleeding. A high proportion (97.5%) of the subjects reported that they clean their teeth every day. Among them, 69.4% used only indigenous tooth cleaning methods, 16.3% only factory made toothbrushes and 14.3% both. Twigs (Chewing sticks) were the most commonly used indigenous tooth cleaning method, followed by charcoal. Together with age, educational and occupational status and tribal origin significantly affected the choice of tooth cleaning method. Men had more often visible plaque than women (OR = 2.84). However, other sociodemographic factors and the method of cleaning teeth were not significantly associated with the occurrence of plaque, calculus or gingival bleeding.