Long-term Effect of Supervised Toothbrushing on Levels of Plaque and Gingival Bleeding Among Schoolchildren.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To test the hypothesis that, in high caries-risk children, supervised toothbrushing (STB) reduces visible plaque levels and gingival bleeding to a greater extent than does unsupervised toothbrushing (USTB) in comparable children and in low caries-risk USTB children over 4 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: High caries-risk schoolchildren, ages 6 to 7, were allocated to three oral healthcare protocols using a cluster-randomised design: 1. Ultra-Conservative Treatment (UCT) small cavities in primary molars were restored using ART, while medium and large cavities were left open and cleaned under daily supervised toothbrushing together with the remaining dentition (UCT/STB); 2. Conventional Restorative Treatment (CRT) primary molars were restored with amalgam, while high caries-risk first permanent molars received resin sealants (CRT/USTB); 3. Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) primary molars were restored using ART, while high caries-risk first permanent molars received ART sealants (ART/USTB). Low caries-risk children (dmft ≤ 1) formed the no-treatment/USTB group. 273 children were examined at baseline (T0) and after 4 years (T1) according to the VPI and GBI indices. Data were analysed using linear and logistic regression. RESULTS: Mean VPI and mean GBI scores were statistically significantly lower at T1 than at T0. Reduction in mean VPI scores in UCT/STB children was statistically significantly higher than for CRT+ART/USTB children over 4 years (p = 0.03), but no difference was observed between UCT/STB and no-treatment/USTB children (p = 0.361). No statistically significant difference in the reduction of mean GBI scores was observed between UCT/STB and CRT+ART/USTB (p = 0.62) and no-treatment/USTB children (p = 0.74). CONCLUSION: In high caries-risk children, the protocol based on supervised toothbrushing presented greater reduction in visible plaque levels than did protocols based on restorations and sealants over 4 years.