IADR Abstract Archives
How Children Brush their Teeth: A Video Observation
Objectives: In representative surveys the vast majority of German 12-year old children report brushing their teeth once or twice a day. Nevertheless the prevalence of gingivitis in this population is still remarkable. In order to better understand the deficits in oral hygiene this study analyzes video-observed tooth brushing and relates it to brushing success of 12-year old German children. The predictive value of different aspects of brushing behavior with respect to brushing success was assessed.
Methods: A random sample of 12-year old German children (N=84) from Marburg, Hesse, was instructed to perform oral hygiene to the best of their ability while being video-recorded. As a measure of brushing success, marginal plaque levels were assessed immediately afterwards. Two calibrated observers analyzed oral hygiene behavior with respect to brushing movements (duration by which teeth were brushed by horizontal, circular or vertical movements) and evenness of distribution of brushing time across sites and sextants as an indicator of brushing systematics.
Results: Children brushed their teeth on average for 202 (±77) seconds, however with only moderate success: marginal plaque was still detected at almost 53% (±26) of all vestibular and oral sites. Regression analysis revealed that duration of circular (β=.417; p<.001) and vertical (β=.199; p=.069) brushing movements explained 25% of variance of brushing success.
Conclusions: Although study participants spent a considerable time with brushing, they were not able to remove plaque effectively. The present research demonstrates that particularly circular and vertical brushing movements are associated with brushing success in children. It further shows that thorough analysis of brushing behavior might provide a valuable contribution in understanding and improving oral hygiene behavior.
Methods: A random sample of 12-year old German children (N=84) from Marburg, Hesse, was instructed to perform oral hygiene to the best of their ability while being video-recorded. As a measure of brushing success, marginal plaque levels were assessed immediately afterwards. Two calibrated observers analyzed oral hygiene behavior with respect to brushing movements (duration by which teeth were brushed by horizontal, circular or vertical movements) and evenness of distribution of brushing time across sites and sextants as an indicator of brushing systematics.
Results: Children brushed their teeth on average for 202 (±77) seconds, however with only moderate success: marginal plaque was still detected at almost 53% (±26) of all vestibular and oral sites. Regression analysis revealed that duration of circular (β=.417; p<.001) and vertical (β=.199; p=.069) brushing movements explained 25% of variance of brushing success.
Conclusions: Although study participants spent a considerable time with brushing, they were not able to remove plaque effectively. The present research demonstrates that particularly circular and vertical brushing movements are associated with brushing success in children. It further shows that thorough analysis of brushing behavior might provide a valuable contribution in understanding and improving oral hygiene behavior.