RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: The aim was to compare the efficacy of the electric versus the manual toothbrush in terms of the oral hygiene achieved by patients wearing rapid palatal expanders (RPEs). METHODS: Forty patients were randomly divided into two groups; one equipped with a manual toothbrush (Group A), the other with an electric toothbrush (Group B). Each child's plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were calculated at banded molar level at times T0 (before banding), T1 (a month later), T2 (3 months later) and T3 (when the expander was removed). At each appointment, the PI and GI were recorded and the patient was remotivated. RESULTS: The level of oral hygiene achieved by the group using an electric toothbrush produced a greater improvement in the two indexes than in the group using the manual toothbrush that showed no statistically significant improvement (PI T0-T3: P = 0.309; GI T0-T3: P = 0.141). Both indexes dropped considerably in both groups from T0 to T2, but more so in the group B. From T2 to T3, although the electric toothbrush continued to be substantially more effective, Group B showed a statistically significant deterioration in the oral hygiene (PI +20%; GI +33%). Other assessments conducted on particular areas of the tooth showed improvements in the PI (-33%) for the vestibular region, and for the GI (-57%) in the palatal region among the patients in Group B, while there were no significant changes in these indexes in Group A. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that the electric toothbrush is statistically more efficient in performing an adequate level of oral hygiene in children wearing RPE.