COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 2 TYPES OF TOOTHBRUSHES ON THE ORAL HYGIENE OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT WITH FIXED APPLIANCES

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether orthodontic tooth brushes were superior to classical toothbrushes in the elimination of microbial dental plaque on teeth and brackets and in the maintenance o f periodontal tissue health in patients, ages 12 to 22 years, with fix ed appliances. Twenty patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with f ixed appliances and brushing with the Bass technique were included in the study. Ten patients used the Oral B Ortho type toothbrushes (Oral B Laboratories Ltd.), whereas the remaining 10 patients used the Oral B Plus 35 type toothbrushes. Quigley-Hein plaque index, bonded bracket index, sulcus bleeding index, and periodontal pocket depth measuremen ts were made at the beginning of the study and a month later. No stati stically significant difference was found for plaque, sulcus bleeding, and periodontal pocket depth between Oral B Ortho and Plus 35 groups when the preinvestigatory and postinvestigatory measurements for the v estibular and proximal surfaces of upper and lower teeth were compared . This short-term study concluded that the Ortho-type toothbrush is no t superior to the Plus 35-type toothbrush.