Manual toothbrushing reinforced with audiovisual instruction versus powered toothbrushing among institutionalized mentally challenged subjects-A randomized cross-over clinical trial

Aim: To assess and compare the effectiveness of Manual toothbrushing reinforced with audiovisual instructions with powered toothbrushing, among the institutionalized mentally challenged individuals under supervision of trained caretakers. Materials and Methods: A randomized cross over clinical trial of 6 months duration which included 16 subjects consisting of two phases of three months, for each of the 2 groups. In group A subjects were given manual toothbrushes with audio-visual aid followed by the powered toothbrushes & vice versa for group B. All subjects were instructed by trained care takers. An evaluation of the plaque & gingival scores was done at the end of 1, 2 & 3 months for both the groups. Results: Phase I showed statistically significant decrease in mean plaque scores (p=0.037) but insignificant mean gingival scores (p=0.189) in group A at end of 3 months. In phase II, statistically insignificant decrease in mean plaque & gingival scores were recorded at end of 3 months. In group B a statistically significant decrease in both plaque (p=0.002) & gingival (p=0.001) was found at end in both phases. Comparison of mean plaque & gingival scores of manual & powered toothbrushes at different intervals in both groups were statistically insignificant Conclusion: For mentally challenged individuals, manual toothbrushes reinforced with audio-visual instructions for brushing may be comparable to the use of powered toothbrushes.