Clinical evaluation of supplementing tongue brushing to most advocated regime of tooth brushing.

Tongue, because of its surface texture contributes significantly in plaque formation and accumulation, has remained a neglected part in the oral cavity. The study conducted on twenty students aged 18 to 23 years, was undertaken to clinically evaluate the role of supplementing tongue brushing to most advocated regime of tooth brushing. In both the phases of the study, plaque scoring was done daily and oral debris was collected on the eighth day. It was observed that tongue brushing when supplemented to the most advocated regime of tooth brushing that is, immediately after breakfast in the morning and immediately after dinner at night significantly reduced the initial rate of plaque formation and total plaque accumulation.