The efficacy of the dental Water Jet, orthodontic, and conventional toothbrushes in plaque removal around orthodontic braces in adolescents: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: Orthodontic treatment improves both masticatory function and the aspects of facial esthetics through the correct alignment of the teeth. If oral hygiene is neglected during fixed orthodontic treatment, it may lead to plaque accumulation and gingivitis. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of the dental Water Jet (DWJ), and orthodontic toothbrush (O‐TH) in removing dental plaque around the orthodontic braces compared to conventional toothbrush (C‐TH) in adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a three‐arm, double‐blind, and parallel‐group randomized active‐controlled trial. Forty‐five patients were randomly allocated into three groups: DWJ, the O‐TH, and the C‐TH (control group). The primary outcome measure was dental plaque accumulation change from the baseline (t(0)) to post‐cleaning (t(1)), and plaque scores were recorded using the Orthodontic Plaque Index (OPI). The current clinical trial was registered and approved by Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12623000524695). RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was noted in the OPI scores between different time points in the DWJ group, the O‐TH group, and the C‐TH group (p < .05). However, no significant difference was noted between the groups after the cleaning procedure (p > .05). CONCLUSION: The level of oral hygiene was not satisfactory in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. In addition, the efficacy of the DWJ was not superior to O‐TH nor to C‐TH in plaque removal.