Comparing shower-based oral hygiene with traditional and electric toothbrushing.

Despite the importance of self-care for disease prevention, dentists and hygienists have been largely unsuccessful as oral hygiene motivators. Because of competing values, patients commonly fail to comply with prescribed oral hygiene regimens. In this investigation, attitudes of 84 adult dental patients were evaluated following a 30-day trial in which a shower-based oral hygiene system (SBOHS) was compared with manual and electric toothbrushing regimens performed in traditional settings. While attitudinal differences between manual and electric toothbrushing groups were insignificant, the SBOHS was perceived as substantially more enjoyable, convenient and reinforcing than either conventional or electric toothbrushing performed outside the shower. Significantly more SBOHS users reported spending more time on oral self-care, taking better care of their teeth and gums, feeling better about plaque control, appreciating oral hygiene practices more and perceiving cleaner teeth and a fresher mouth after oral hygiene than either the conventional or electric toothbrush users.