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Plaque scores after 1 or 2 minutes of toothbrushing A systematic review and meta-analysis
Marion T Seuntjens1, Tim M J A Thomassen1, Fridus G A Van der Weijden1
1Department of Periodontology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Aim:
To evaluate the difference in plaque score reduction achieved by 1 and 2 min of toothbrushing, based on data from single brushing exercises.
Methods:
MEDLINE-PubMed, Cochrane-CENTRAL databases and the first five pages of Google Scholar were searched for randomised controlled trials. Extracted data were summarised in a descriptive and, if possible, a meta-analysis using standardised mean difference (SMD). Separate analyses were performed for manual (MTB) and powered (PTB) toothbrushes.
Results:
Based on the selection criteria, the search identified five unique eligible publications providing 16 comparisons. For both toothbrush types, 2 min of brushing resulted in a significantly higher plaque score reduction. The SMD of 1 versus 2 min of brushing using MTB was 0.69 [95% CI: 0.06, 1.33] (p = 0.03) can be interpreted as a medium size effect and the SMD of using a PTB was 0.47 [95% CI: 0.28, 0.66], (p < 0.00001) interpreted as a small size effect.
Conclusion:
With respect to plaque scores, based on single brushing exercises, there is moderate certainty for the recommendation to brush for 2 min over 1 min.
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