Long-term oral effects of manual or electric toothbrushes used by mentally handicapped adults.

This study investigated the long-term oral hygiene effects in mentally handicapped patients using an electric toothbrush as compared to manual brushing. Twenty-three moderately handicapped patients were selected and sampled into two study and two control groups. The two study groups used electric toothbrushes, while the control groups used manual toothbrushes. One of each study and control groups were aided by parent or staff in brushing. Plaque and gingival indexes were scored at day 0, after 3 months and after 16 months. Instruction in toothbrushing procedures and information about oral hygiene was given. When the study was completed, no significant changes were found in or between the groups regarding plaque scores. The gingival score of the unaided electric toothbrush group was significantly reduced after 16 months. This improvement was probably attributed to frequent recalls and a well-designed prophylactic program. The main conclusion of this study is that an electric toothbrush is not superior to a manual toothbrush.