Removal of dental plaque from different regions of the mouth after a 1-minute episode of mechanical oral hygiene.

PURPOSE

To assess dental plaque on different regions of the dentition prior to and immediately after toothbrushing.

METHODS

Subjects refrained from oral hygiene for 22-26 hours prior to baseline whole mouth plaque assessments by the Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein Index (TMQH). All subjects brushed with a marketed soft-bristled toothbrush and a fluoride dentifrice for 1 minute prior to post-brushing plaque assessments similar to baseline. One calibrated clinical examiner conducted all measurements.

RESULTS

30 subjects (mean age 23 years) completed the study. Irrespective of arch, posterior teeth harbored higher frequencies for scores of 3-5 than corresponding anterior teeth prior to brushing. In comparison to the pre-brushing examination, scores of 0-1 were more common in the post-brushing evaluation, however, greater frequencies of higher plaque were observed on posterior than on anterior regions. Irrespective of gender, subject or arch, anterior teeth harbored lower mean amounts of plaque than posterior teeth by ANOVA at both clinical examinations (P < 0.0001). Additionally, irrespective of arch, lower mean scores for plaque were observed on anterior teeth than from posterior teeth or the whole mouth at both examinations (P < 0.001). Lingual and molar surfaces consistently harbored large densities of plaque and represented areas with the least plaque removal after toothbrushing. Mid-vestibular sites represented the areas with the highest percent removal of plaque at 65% and harbored significantly lower levels of plaque than proximal sites during all phases of the study (P < 0.0059).