Brushing time -- not brushing method or toothbrush condition -- may be the factor that correlates most with plaque removal. The study was published on June 9 in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene.
The most effective plaque removal occurred when patients brushed equitably across all tooth surfaces, the authors wrote.
“This study provides noteworthy evidence that among the measurable variables related to toothbrushing, area-specific brushing duration was the factor most strongly associated with post-brushing plaque levels,” wrote the authors, led by Hyun-Jae Cho of Seoul National University in Korea.
Though toothbrushing remains the most commonly practiced method for dental plaque removal, evidence-based guidance is lacking in terms of the optimal method, duration, and dentifrice quantity.
To identify behavioral factors linked to post-brushing dental plaque levels using video-based analysis of habitual toothbrushing, 88 adults were included in the study. The adults were recorded while brushing, and behaviors like duration, motion, surface coverage, and multiarea brushing were coded using behavioral analysis software. Dental plaque was assessed using the Turesky Modification Quigley-Hein Index, and the data were analyzed, according to the study.
The most robust factor linked to lower plaque scores was area-specific brushing duration, the authors wrote.
Furthermore, patients who brushed tooth surfaces for at least five seconds exhibited much lower plaque index scores than those who brushed for fewer than five seconds, they wrote.
Nevertheless, the study had shortcomings. Nearly 64% of the study sample comprised women, which may limit generalizability, the authors wrote.
The study has direct implications for oral health education. Instead of focusing exclusively on the brushing method, toothbrushing education should incorporate area-specific timing cues or visual feedback, they wrote.
“Dental professionals could employ plaque-disclosing agents during routine visits to demonstrate surface-specific plaque distributions, motivating behaviorally targeted changes,” Cho and co-authors wrote.
