EFFECTIVENESS OF TOOTHBRUSHES ON GINGIVAL HEALTH IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT

Aim: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two different manual toothbrushes on gingival health among patients undergoing orthodontic treatment.Methodology: In the present randomized cross-over controlled trial, 60 subjects were recruited, to receive either crisscross or multilevel bristle design. Modified Gingival Index (MGI), Modified Silness and Loe Plaque Index, and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI) and were assessed for 120 days. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 21 (SPSS; Chicago, IL, USA). Owing to the ordinal nature of the indices, non-parametric tests of significance were used.Results: The efficacy of the two-bristle design brush showed an overall reduction in the mean score. Overall significant differences were seen in the efficacy of the two different bristle designs. Both the study groups showed a reduction in the mean MGI, PL, and GBI with a P value less than 0.001 which was statistically significant.Conclusion: In the present study, the criss-cross bristle design was found to be significantly more effective as compared to the multilevel toothbrush design for reducing MGI, PL, and GBI scores.