Reliability and validity of brief measures of oral health-related knowledge, fatalism, and self-efficacy in mothers of African American children.
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PURPOSE: Low-income African American children experience high rates of dental caries compared to the general population. Knowledgeable and efficacious caregivers can play an important role in caries prevention. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate 4 brief measures reflecting mothers' potentially modifiable cognitions associated with African American children's oral health: (1) knowledge about appropriate bottle use (KBU); (2) knowledge about children's oral hygiene (KCOH); (3) oral health-related fatalism (OHF); and (4) oral health-related self-efficacy (OHSE). METHODS: Questions were selected based on reviews of the health promotion and oral health literature, with input from low-income African American caregivers of young children. Reliability and validity were evaluated using survey and dental examination data from 719 low-income African American mothers and their 1- to 5-year-old children. RESULTS: Alpha reliabilities ranged from 0.76 to 0.91. KCOH was significantly associated with mothers' oral health perceptions and children's caries status. OHSE was significantly positively correlated with children's brushing frequency and with mothers' subjective perceptions of children's oral health, which was, in turn, significantly associated with children's caries status. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the reliability and validity of the new measures. If confirmed by further research, these measures can be used to develop tailored educational and cognitive-behavioral interventions to reduce oral health disparities. (+info)
Toothbrushing patterns over time in at-risk metropolitan African-American 5th- 8th graders.
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OBJECTIVES: A large study of risky pre-teen behavior provided an opportunity to examine self-reported toothbrushing frequency for stability over time and adequacy. METHODS: 1115 metropolitan African-American children at risk for violence and drug use self-reported toothbrushing frequency in at least one of five measurement points from 5th to 8th grade as part of a larger study. Longitudinal data were available for 815 students. RESULTS: 81% reported mainly twice daily, 8% reported mainly once daily, 10% changed over time, and 1% were consistently less than once daily. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the children reported once or twice daily toothbrushing frequency, stable between 5th and 8th grades. A minority of children showed low or inconsistent frequencies and these results may indicate an opportunity for intervention to improve habits. (+info)
The Oral-B CrossAction manual toothbrush: a 5-year literature review.
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The design of the modern conventional manual toothbrush can be attributed to Dr. Robert Hutson, a Californian periodontist, who in the early 1950s developed the multitufted, flattrimmed, end-rounded nylon filament brush that became known as the Oral-B manual toothbrush. The trademark Oral-B emphasized that this was an oral brush, designed to clean all parts of the oral cavity, not merely a toothbrush. Flat-trimmed conventional toothbrushes based on the original Oral-B design have good plaque-removing capability when used carefully. However, limitations in terms of patients" brushing technique and brushing time necessitated a radical change in bristle pattern to improve performance, especially at approximal sites and along the gumline. RATIONALE FOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Detailed studies of the tooth-brushing process, using advanced scientific and ergonomic research methods, led to new toothbrush designs intended to maximize the efficacy of brushing efforts. These studies showed that the point of greatest interproximal penetration occurs when the direction of brushing changes; bristles angle back into the interproximal space, moving down and back up the adjoining approximal surface. These mechanics were further optimized on the basis of standardized evaluations of brush-design characteristics, including combinations of tuft lengths, insertion angles and tuft layout. With conventional vertical bristles these improvements yield limited benefits because only a few bristles are correctly positioned at the interproximal junction when the brush changes direction. Ultimately, a design with bristle tufts arranged at 16 masculine from vertical along the horizontal brush head axis was identified, in which the maximum number of bristles operated at the optimum angle throughout the brushing cycle. This design was significantly more effective (p < 0.001) than others in terms of penetration (by 9.6%) and cleaning effectiveness per brush stroke (by 15.5%). EFFECTIVENESS: This discovery paved the way for a new toothbrush design with a unique patented array of tufts, which became known as the Oral-B CrossAction brush. This design was selected for extensive independent studies designed to evaluate plaque removal at the gingival margins and in the approximal areas and longer-term control of gingivitis, relative to current standard designs. In a series of studies (published in 2000), 14 single-brushing comparisons and 2 longer-term studies demonstrated the consistent superiority of the Oral-B CrossAction brush over the equivalent commercial standards. Since then, several additional studies have contributed further positive performance data for the CrossAction brush. Two of the studies demonstrated that plaque removal by this brush was superior to that of 15 other manual toothbrushes, and further investigations contributed similarly positive data. Longer-term data have confirmed superior CrossAction performance and the long-term benefits of improved efficacy, particularly for gingivitis. DISCUSSION: Novel approaches to toothbrush design have produced a toothbrush that, when tested in a large number of clinical studies, has consistently met or exceeded established standards of efficacy. The literature contains a wealth of performance data on various toothbrush designs, but none of these designs shows the year-on-year consistency and reproducibility of the Oral-B CrossAction. (+info)
A case of colohepatic penetration by a swallowed toothbrush.
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Although foreign body ingestion is relatively common, toothbrush swallowing is rare. We report a case of a swallowed toothbrush which passed through the ileocecal valve and perforated the proximal transverse colon, then the liver. To our knowledge, this is the first case to be reported. (+info)
Introducing a clinical-behavioural scoring system for children's oral hygiene.
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OBJECTIVES: Developing and testing a clinical-behavioural scoring system for assessing children's oral hygiene. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One clinical variable (the presence of dental plaque, measured using Silness and Loe's index) and one behavioural variable (self-reported tooth brushing frequency) were combined into secondary data analysis of research databases for 3-6-year-olds and 6-13-year-olds in a Mexican community. The combined scoring is an ordinal scale that depicts suitable, moderate and inadequate hygiene. Blinded dental examiners also collected dmft/DMFT data in standardised conditions. Data was analysed with Spearman's rho, Kruskall-Wallis, non-parametric tests for trends and Pearson's chi2 tests. RESULTS: 1303 children aged 3-6 years old and 1644 children aged 6-13 years old participated in the study. Clear relationships existed between the combined scoring system and dmft (p < 0.01) and between the scoring system and DMFT (p < 0.01), suggesting that the combined clinical-behavioural scoring system is a reasonably accurate measurement of the relationship between caries experience and oral hygiene in children in the given setting. CONCLUSIONS: The combined clinical-behavioural scoring system is a simple, easy-to-use tool that incorporates clinical and behavioural data commonly found in dental systems. Whether the clinical-behavioural scoring system can be generalised remains to be established. (+info)
Effects of occlusal and brushing forces on wear of composite resins.
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Effects of occlusal and brushing forces on the wear of composite resins were investigated using three different wear tests: simulated occlusal wear test, toothbrush wear test, and combined wear test which carried out toothbrush wear test and occlusal wear test alternately. Test specimens were prepared from four commercial composite resins. Worn volume and maximum worn depth were measured under different occlusal forces (40 N and 80 N) and brushing forces (1.5 N and 3 N) in the three wear tests. Worn surfaces were observed using a SEM. In all the three wear tests, both higher occlusal and brushing forces resulted in significantly greater worn volume and higher maximum worn depth. The effects of occlusal force on worn volume and maximum worn depth varied with different composites, indicating that the four tested composites showed different wear behaviors under different occlusal forces and brushing forces. It was suggested that their different wear behaviors most probably stemmed from the differences in their filler systems. (+info)
Influence of toothbrushing on enamel softening and abrasive wear of eroded bovine enamel: an in situ study.
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This study assessed the surface softening and abrasive wear of eroded bovine enamel with or without the influence of toothbrushing. Five volunteers took part in this in situ study of 5 days. They wore acrylic palatal appliances containing 6 bovine enamel blocks divided in two rows with 3 blocks, which corresponded to the studied groups: erosion without toothbrushing (GI) and erosion with toothbrushing (GII). The blocks were subjected to erosion by immersion of the appliances in a cola drink for 10 minutes, 4 times a day. After that, no treatment was performed in one row (GI), whereas the other row was brushed (GII). The appliance was then replaced into the mouth. Enamel alterations were determined using profilometry and microhardness tests. Data were tested using paired Students t test (p < 0.05). The mean wear values (microm) and percentage of superficial microhardness change (%SMHC) were respectively: GI--2.77 +/- 1.21/91.61 +/- 3.68 and GII--3.80 +/- 0.91/58.77 +/- 11.47. There was a significant difference in wear (p = 0.001) and %SMHC (p = 0.001) between the groups. It was concluded that the wear was more pronounced when associated to toothbrushing abrasion. However, toothbrushing promoted less %SMHC due to the removal of the altered superficial enamel layer. (+info)
Antibacterial effect of electrolyzed water on oral bacteria.
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This study investigated the antibacterial effect of electrolyzed water on oral bacteria both in vitro and in vivo. Tap water was electrolyzed in a water vessel using platinum cell technology. The electrolyzed tap water (called Puri-water) was put in contact with five major periodontopathogens or toothbrushes contaminated with these bacteria for 30 sec. In addition, Puri-water was used as a mouthwash for 30 sec in 16 subjects and the antibacterial effect on salivary bacteria was evaluated. Puri-water significantly reduced the growth of all periodontopathogens in culture and on toothbrushes, and that of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in saliva, when compared to the effect of tap water. It also significantly reduced mutans streptococci growing on mitis salivarius-bacitracin agar. Our results demonstrate that the electrolyzed tap water is effective as a mouthwash and for toothbrush disinfection. (+info)