Comparison of Modified Circular and Natural Toothbrushing Methods in Effectiveness of Dental Plaque Removal and Gingival Improvement.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness in plaque removal and gingival improvement between the Modified Circular and the natural toothbrushing methods in 10- to 12-year-old children. Materials and Methods: A presented quasi-experimental study had a total of 124 fifth graders who were randomized into control and intervention groups. The examination used a structured questionnaire; gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), and video recording were performed at baseline and follow-up. One oral examiner and one interviewer were blinded for the data collection. Both groups were trained to brush their teeth twice daily for 2 minutes. The intervention group was trained to brush using the Modified Circular and the control group was asked to brush using the same way they brush every day. The collected data were analyzed using demographic statistic, t-test and chi-squared test. Results: At baseline, no significant differences were observed in the mean PI and mean GI between the intervention group (PI = 2.37, standard deviation [SD] = 0.71; GI = 0.49, SD = 0.29) and the control group (PI = 2.26, SD = 0.64; GI = 0.52, SD = 0.29). At one-month follow-up, the intervention group had significantly lower mean PI (PI = 1.74, SD = 0.96) than the control group (PI = 2.30, SD = 1.18) (P < 0.004). The intervention group had a significantly lower mean GI (GI = 0.28, SD = 0.33) than the control group (GI = 0.51, SD = 0.40) (P < 0.002). Conclusion: The Modified Circular method can effectively remove plaque in 10- to 12-year-old children better than the natural toothbrushing method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]