Division of Population Health Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, USA.
Healthy Smiles Forever, Anchorage, Alaska, USA.
Spec Care Dentist. 2024 Sep;44(5):1399-1407. doi: 10.1111/scd.12996. Epub 2024 Mar 23.
Reduced mobility and/or low cognitive functioning may make it difficult for residents with special care needs in long-term care homes to brush their own teeth every day. Demands on caregiving staff in these homes may also result in skipping essential toothbrushing tasks, resulting in poor oral health.
This article provides the results of a 6-week pilot study that tested the effectiveness and acceptability of the Willo automatic toothbrush "robot" used among residents in long-term care compared to their regular toothbrush. Using a non-randomized delayed-start design with a convenience sample (age 38-82 years, mean = 66.9), each study participant underwent biofilm assessments at three timepoints: (1) baseline as the study began (mean = 2.33), (2) after using their regular toothbrush daily for 3 weeks (mean = 2.21), and (3) after using the Willo automatic toothbrush daily for 3 weeks (mean = 0.31). Using t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA, the Willo was significantly more effective than regular toothbrushing at reducing biofilm (p = .00004) and gingivitis (p = .002) over time. Participants also responded to brief weekly satisfaction surveys about their experiences using the two different brushes. The Willo was generally tolerated among participants, who largely reported that the brush was easy to use, not uncomfortable, and did not cause pain or bleeding. While approximately half of the study participants reported liking the Willo, the remainder did not want to replace their regular brush with the Willo, for a variety of reasons.
We recommend more research on the effectiveness and acceptability of automatic toothbrushes with long-term care residents, caregivers, and others who may benefit from their use.
行动不便和/或认知功能低下可能使长期护理院有特殊护理需求的居民难以每天刷牙。这些养老院的护理人员的需求也可能导致基本的刷牙任务被忽略，从而导致口腔健康状况不佳。
本文提供了一项为期 6 周的试点研究结果，该研究比较了长期护理院居民使用 Willo 自动牙刷“机器人”与他们常规牙刷的效果和可接受性。采用非随机延迟启动设计和方便样本（年龄 38-82 岁，平均 66.9 岁），每位研究参与者在三个时间点进行生物膜评估：（1）研究开始时的基线（平均值为 2.33），（2）使用常规牙刷每天刷牙 3 周后（平均值为 2.21），以及（3）使用 Willo 自动牙刷每天刷牙 3 周后（平均值为 0.31）。使用 t 检验和重复测量方差分析，Willo 在减少生物膜（p=0.00004）和牙龈炎（p=0.002）方面明显比常规牙刷更有效。参与者还对他们使用两种不同刷子的体验每周进行了简短的满意度调查。Willo 在参与者中得到了广泛的接受，他们大多报告说牙刷易于使用，不会不舒服，也不会引起疼痛或出血。虽然大约一半的研究参与者表示喜欢 Willo，但其余的人出于各种原因不想用 Willo 代替他们的常规牙刷。
我们建议对自动牙刷在长期护理院居民、护理人员和其他可能受益于其使用的人群中的有效性和可接受性进行更多研究。
