Electric and Manual Toothbrushes in Nursing Homes

Patients in nursing homes often have many natural teeth with exposed root surfaces, bifurcations, a complexity of dental restorations like partial prostheses, bridges/crowns, fillings and implants. In addition they have a limited physical ability, like reduced muscular strength, rigidness in the neck and spine. All these factors contribute to make it difficult, both for themselves and their nursing staff to maintain good oral hygiene.

Electrical toothbrushes have been proved effective in removal of dental plaque. There have also been reports from nursing homes that approves of electrical toothbrushes as a helpful aid among the nursing staff.

The present study examine if the overall oral hygiene actually improves with the use of electric toothbrush.

Material and method: The study is a randomized clinical trial (RCT) that includes patients from nursing homes in Oslo. The recording dentist is blind to the type of tooth brush Inclusion criteria.

• Patients living in nursing home in Oslo
• Provide written informed consent prior to enrolment (from relatives when patients were assessed by physician to be without ability to give written consent.

Participants in the experimental group use an electrical toothbrush. Participants in the control group use a standard manual toothbrush.

Registration of oral hygiene and plaque score at baseline 0 and after 2 months intervention.

After the RCT trial the participants were free to choose toothbrush, electric or manual. The study includes a follow-up study 10 months after the end of the RCT trial.

The study is a part of the PhD programme for Katrine Gahre Fjeld Cand. Odont.

Supervisors:

Tiril Willumsen Dr Odont, The Dental Faculty, University of Oslo Hilde Eide Dr. Philos, Department of Nursing, Buskerud University College Morten Mowe Dr med, The Medical Faculty, University of Oslo

Inclusion criteria

• Patients living in nursing home in Oslo
• Provide written informed consent prior to enrolment (from relatives when patients were assessed by physician to be without ability to give written consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients too weak to be examined
• Patients With life expectancy less then one year