A study of manual toothbrush replacement cycle for dental Hygiene school female students

초록

Objectives.It is generally recommended that toothbrushes should be replaced after three-months use in order to maintain efficacy of plaque remove. This study was aimed to investigate the recommended replacement cycle of manual toothbrush that is proper for Korean people. Methods.To investigate manual toothbrush change cycle, the relationship between toothbrush wear and plaque removal ability was assessed. The subjects were instructed brush their whole teeth 3 times a day with rolling method. Patient Hygiene Performance Index and Plaque Free Surface Rate (modified Plaque Free Score for this study) were used for plaque removal ability. Wear index and wear rate were used for manual toothbrush wear and splaying level at first, fourth and eighth week from the start. Results.Wear index (0.280, 0.442, 0.853) and wear rate (0.333, 1.273, 1.769), both were significantly increased, depend on time of use for manual toothbrush at first, fourth, and eighth week respectively (p＜0.001). Plaque removal ability were found to exhibit decreasing with increasing the wear index. Conclusions.The manual toothbrush wear Index was bigger than preceded studies, depend on period of use. As a result, guidelines on replacement of manual toothbrush for Korean should be recommended with considered our own tooth brushing habits.

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