ArticleClinical oral investigations2015
Toothbrushing and flossing behaviour in young adults--a video observation.
Article in Clinical oral investigations, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Exploring Toothbrushing Duration Among Adults: A Systematic Review.International journal of dental hygiene · 2026Pooled it
- Caries prevention in permanent teeth - basic recommendations of the German S 3 guideline.Clinical oral investigations · 2026Guideline
- Manual toothbrushing techniques for plaque removal and the prevention of gingivitis-A systematic review with network meta-analysis.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of power-driven interdental cleaning tools: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical and experimental dental research · 2023Pooled it
- Subject-specific stability of toothbrushing performance: insights from dynamic time warping and phenotype analysis.Clinical oral investigations · 2026Trial
- An Oral Health Promotion Strategy for Persons With Intellectual and Developmental Disability: An Exploratory Randomized Trial Comparing Intervention and Control Group Homes.Journal of public health dentistry · 2025Trial
- Impact of video instructions and additional hands-on instructions on the dental flossing performance - an observational study.Clinical oral investigations · 2024Trial
- It is the habit not the handle that affects tooth brushing - a randomised counterbalanced cross over study with young and healthy adults.BMC oral health · 2024Trial
- Self-determined use of provided powered oral hygiene devices leads to improved gingival health after 1 year: a longitudinal clinical trial.BMC oral health · 2024Trial
- Tooth Brushing Learning Methods: Differential or Conventional? - A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.Caries research · 2024Trial
- "You should brush your teeth better": a randomized controlled trial comparing best-possible versus as-usual toothbrushing.BMC oral health · 2023Trial
- Salivary Flow Rate During Toothbrushing.Oral health & preventive dentistry · 2022Trial
- Efficacy of a sonic toothbrush on plaque removal-A video-controlled explorative clinical trial.PloS one · 2021Trial
- Cleansing efficacy of an auto-cleaning electronic toothbrushing device: a randomized-controlled crossover pilot study.Clinical oral investigations · 2021Trial
- Randomized controlled trial assessing plaque removal of an oscillating-rotating electric toothbrush with micro-vibrations.International dental journal · 2020Trial
- No difference between manual and different power toothbrushes with and without specific instructions in young, oral healthy adults-results of a randomized clinical trial.Clinical oral investigations · 2018Trial
- Oral Hygiene Recommendations From Orthodontists to Orthodontic Patients.International journal of dental hygiene · 2026Article
- Teaching Others, Reflecting Self: Does Educating Patients Impact Students' Own Plaque Control?Caries research · 2026Article
- Does proper flossing performance translate into effective plaque removal?Clinical oral investigations · 2025Article
- Factors Associated With Oral Hygiene Practices Among Young Mexican-Identifying Southern Californians.Journal of public health dentistry · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesVideo observation studies of habitual oral hygiene from the 1970s revealed a striking neglect of brushing oral surfaces and unsystematic brushing patterns with frequent movements between areas. These findings were not systematically followed up; furthermore, nothing is known about whether subjects are able to floss sufficiently. Therefore, the aim of this video study was to analyse the performance of habitual toothbrushing and flossing.
methodsA random sample of 101 18-year-olds was included. Toothbrush and floss were provided; habitual brushing/flossing was videotaped in a standardised setting and analysed with the video coding software INTERACT. Parameters of interest were toothbrushing duration, type of brushing strokes, brushing patterns, flossed interproximal spaces and flossing technique.
resultsThe mean brushing duration was 156.0 ± 71.1 s; duration differed only slightly between the upper and lower jaw as well as between the right, left and anterior areas. However, oral surfaces were brushed distinctly shorter than vestibular surfaces (27.1 ± 27.8 s versus 72.1 ± 31.8 s; p ≤ 0.001). Participants brushed different areas of the mouth with different types of strokes, predominantly with horizontal and circular strokes. Brushing movements frequently alternated between areas (45.1 ± 22.4) not randomly but accumulated within a jaw with a tendency to move from the right to the left. Half of the participants flossed, but only one performed sufficiently.
conclusionsThere was a significant neglect of brushing oral surfaces and insufficient use of floss. Brushing patterns were similar to those observed in the 1970s. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Understanding habitual oral hygiene behaviour is essential for improving oral hygiene instruction strategies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.