14 research outputs found
Comparison of the clinical effectiveness of a single and a triple-headed toothbrushes in a population of mentally retarded patients
Tooth brushing is a very simple and effective method for removing daily dental deposits and for preventing dental and periodontal diseases. However, it can cause considerable manipulative difficulties among some populations, e.g., young children, physically handicapped and mentally retarded patients. In order to test and compare the efficiency of a newly designed toothbrush (SuperbrushÂź 1 ), we have performed a pilot study on patients staying at the «Reine Fabiola Village N° 1», an institution for patients who are followed for mental retardation at different levels. 30 patients were included in the study, aged between 18 to 40 years. Among these 30, five had to be eliminated for their incapacity to follow the initial training in how to brush their teeth. The comparison was made with a normal single headed tooth brush, in a double blind trial, based on bleeding and plaque indexes, performed on 6 different teeth on day 0,7 and 21. The results of this study indicate that there is no significant difference between the two types of toothbrushes with respect to the ability of plaque removing and gingivitis prevention, during the period of time of this study. However, the easiness of manipulating this newly designed toothbrush renders it a useful tool for the dental hygiene for this special part of the dental compromised population.Le brossage des dents constitue une mĂ©thode simple et efficace pour ĂŽter le dĂ©pĂŽt dentaire journalier, et pour empĂȘcher les maladies dentaires et parodontales. Cependant, le brossage peut engendrer des difficultĂ©s de manipulation au sein de certaines populations, chez les jeunes enfants par exemple, ou chez les handicapĂ©s physiques ou encore chez les retardĂ©s mentaux. En vue de tester et de comparer lâefficacitĂ© dâune nouvelle brosse Ă dents avec un nouveau design (Superbrush Âź 1), nous avons rĂ©alisĂ© une Ă©tude pilote sur des patients rĂ©sidant au «village Reine Fabiola n° 1», une institution pour personnes retardĂ©es mentalement Ă diffĂ©rents niveaux. Notre Ă©chantillon sâest composĂ© de 30 patients ĂągĂ©s de 18 Ă 40 ans. Parmi ceuxci, cinq ont Ă©tĂ© Ă©liminĂ© suite Ă leur incapacitĂ© de suivre les explications initiales concernant les mĂ©thodes de brossage. Nous avons vĂ©rifiĂ© lâefficacitĂ© de la nouvelle brosse en comparant le saignement et les index de plaque dentaire par rapport Ă ceux obtenus avec une brosse Ă tĂȘte unique. Ces tests ont Ă©tĂ© rĂ©alisĂ©s sur 6 dents diffĂ©rentes, au jour 0, 7 et 21. Les rĂ©sultats de cette Ă©tude indiquent quâil nây a pas de diffĂ©rences significatives entre les deux types de brosses Ă dents quant Ă leur efficacitĂ© dâĂŽter la plaque et dâempĂȘcher les gingivites pendant la pĂ©riode Ă©tudiĂ©e. Cependant, vu la facilitĂ© de manipulation de la nouvelle brosse Ă dents, celle-ci peut sâavĂ©rer ĂȘtre trĂšs utile pour lâhygiĂšne dentaire de certaines catĂ©gories de population.