Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective: To investigate the impact of “Brush Up” - a mobile application, on oral hygiene behaviours of 4-6-year-old children in Bangalore city.Methods: In this experimental study, 247 children aged 4-6, were randomly divided into three groups. Considering “Brush Up” is a mobile application, parents of the children in Group 1 (n=82) downloaded the application on their smartphones. Children in Group 2 (n=83) and Group 3 (n=82) received tooth brushing instructions by an educative video and manual demonstration, respectively. Effectiveness of tooth brushing was assessed with plaque scores, which were recorded for all the groups at baseline and one month using Visible Biofilm Index.Results: Wilcoxon signed rank test showed a significant improvement in the tooth brushing behaviour for the Brush Up group, which was indicated by a lower plaque score after a follow-up of one month. Kruskal-Wallis test followed by post-hoc test showed that the mean ranks of plaque scores of Brush Up group are consistently lower than those of video demonstration group and manual demonstration group.Conclusions: The lower plaque score in subsequent follow-up in Brush Up group suggests that using a smart system can enhance learning a correct tooth brushing method in young children and can also help in implementing the required reinforcement and motivation to brush and aid in better plaque control.
Highlights
The role of microbial plaque in the initiation and progression of dental caries, and periodontal disease is well documented
The subjects who matched the age group of 4–6, who were present on the day of examination, and whose parents were smartphone users were included in the study
It is already known that mechanical plaque control, despite being the most effective method, is inefficient in young children under 10 years old, due to poor manual dexterity and lack of sufficient motivation.[14,15]
Summary
The role of microbial plaque in the initiation and progression of dental caries, and periodontal disease is well documented. Mechanical removal of plaque at regular intervals currently offers the safest mode of preventive therapy.[1] tooth brushing continues to be a widely used and effective method for cleaning most of teeth surfaces.[2]. Tooth brushing is acquired during the social learning process of children. When taught in early childhood, it gets naturally ingrained in their daily routine, and only positive reinforcement is needed later.[2] Improper tooth brushing behaviors can result in gingivitis, tooth decay, or, eventually, tooth loss. The primary goal of any brushing technique is to reach all accessible teeth surfaces and enable patients to prevent trauma from brushing.[3]
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