“Is powered toothbrush better than manual toothbrush in removing dental plaque?” – A crossover randomized double-blind study among differently abled, India

BACKGROUND: Although mechanical plaque removal is an effective method, powered toothbrushes are specially designed to benefit differently abled. Literature comparing plaque removal efficacy between manual and powered toothbrushes among differently abled is sparse. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-over, randomized, double-blind study was conducted in differently abled institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty differently abled participants were randomly assigned to two groups of ten participants. Plaque removal efficacy of battery-operated powered toothbrush was compared with manual toothbrush in a single brushing on the 8(th) day. After a washout of 1 week, groups were switched. Assessment of plaque scores was done using Turesky's modification of Quigley-Hein plaque index. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Difference in plaque score between pre- and post-brushing in each group was compared using paired sample t-test. RESULTS: In the pooled data analysis combining the results of Phase I and II, mean pre- and post-brushing plaque scores with manual toothbrush was 2.26 ± 0.4 and 1.93 ± 0.5, respectively, while with powered toothbrush, it was 2.21 ± 0.4 and 1.96 ± 0.4, respectively. However, difference in mean plaque reduction between manual and powered toothbrushes was not significant. CONCLUSION: Manual toothbrushes were equally effective compared to powered toothbrushes. Long-term studies precisely documenting cost-effectiveness and participant perception in the ease of use are recommended to validate our results.