THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF MUSICAL TOOTHBRUSH AND MANUAL TOOTH BRUSH FOR DENTAL PLAQUE REMOVAL: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Background & Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to clinically evaluate and compare the efficacy of Colgate Smile for 2-6 tooth brush and “BRUSH BUDDIES” Musical tooth brush in the reduction of established plaque & gingivitis. Methods: For this study, 40 healthy kids (27 boys, 13 Girls) were selected from the same institution. The subjects were randomly assigned into 2 groups by a second examiner; one group used Colgate Smile for 2-6 tooth brush and the other group used “BRUSH BUDDIES” Musical tooth brush. Plaque Index (Quigley and Hein), Modified Gingival Index th th (Lobene and Associates) & Gingival Bleeding Index (Ainamo and Bay) were assessed at baseline, 30 day, 60 day and th 90 day. Results: All the baseline indices appeared to be well balanced. At the end of the study, reduction in plaque index, modified gingival index and gingival bleeding index were statistically highly significant during each interval for both the toothbrushes. For “BRUSH BUDDIES” musical tooth brush the reduction in all clinical parameters were statistically significant for 30 days & 60 days interval, while non significant at 90days interval. Interpretation & Conclusion: Both the tooth brushes used in this study were clinically effective in removing plaque, improving gingival health. Musical tooth brush is more effective initially but as the time period increases both tooth brushes give almost similar results.