Oral hygiene for the severely handicapped: clinical evaluation of the University of Mississippi dental care system

Abstract

The study reported here was a clinical evaluation of an automatic toothbrushing device for persons with severe handicapping conditions. This device, the University of Mississippi dental care system, is designed for patients who are unable to control their arms and hands. The effectiveness of this device was compared to routine (ordinary, manual) regimens of oral hygiene through use of gingival (Loe-Silness) and plaque (Turesky) indexes (GIs, PIs). Plaque indexes for patients under routine care averaged 2.11; PIs for patients under the dental care system averaged 1.47. Based on Ebbutt's extra period changeover design model, the t-test for difference in plaque scores is significant (P less than .001). The results indicate that the University of Mississippi dental care system improves the patients' ability to independently control plaque.