Efficacy of Finger Toothbrush in Plaque Removal in a Group of Preschool Children: A Randomized Controlled Study

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of plaque removal by using finger toothbrush among a group of preschool children by their mother/caretaker. Materials and methods: Thirty healthy preschool children were enrolled in the study, their mother/caretaker were provided finger and manual toothbrushes and were asked to use these brushes on alternative days for 3 weeks in order to achieve optimum dexterity with both the brushes. The subjects were recalled with their mother/caretaker, after having abstained from all oral hygiene practices for 48 hours and they were divided into two groups. A single calibrated examiner assessed all the study subjects to measure amount of plaque using Silness and Loe plaque index, before and after the tooth brushing with allotted toothbrush. The mothers/caretakers were also questioned about the comfort and convenience in using the brushes provided in the study. Results: Only 27 study subjects had returned along with their mother/caretaker for intervention. Finger toothbrush and manual toothbrush groups, consisted of total 10 males and four female subjects, and eight males and five female subjects respectively. The mean plaque scores before tooth brushing for finger toothbrush and manual toothbrush were 1.43 and 1.29 respectively, and after tooth brushing 0.22 and 0.16 for the finger toothbrush and manual toothbrush respectively. Higher mean plaque index score was recorded for finger toothbrush compared to manual toothbrush but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Finger toothbrush was able to remove plaque as efficacious as manual toothbrush in preschool children of 3 to 6 years of age.