ArticleBMC oral health2018
Toothbrushing: to the best of one's abilities is possibly not good enough.
Article in BMC oral health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- Manual toothbrushing techniques for plaque removal and the prevention of gingivitis-A systematic review with network meta-analysis.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- 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
- The plaque reducing efficacy of oil pulling with sesame oil: a randomized-controlled clinical study.Clinical oral investigations · 2025Trial
- Cleansing efficacy of the electric toothbrush Oral-BClinical 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
- A randomized double-blind clinical trial evaluating comparative plaque and gingival health associated with commercially available stannous fluoride-containing dentifrices as compared to a sodium fluoride control dentifrice.Journal of periodontology · 2023Trial
- "You should brush your teeth better": a randomized controlled trial comparing best-possible versus as-usual toothbrushing.BMC oral health · 2023Trial
- Cleansing efficacy of an auto-cleaning toothbrushing device with nylon bristles: a randomized-controlled pilot study.Clinical oral investigations · 2023Trial
- Salivary Flow Rate During Toothbrushing.Oral health & preventive dentistry · 2022Trial
- Cleansing efficacy of an auto-cleaning electronic toothbrushing device: a randomized-controlled crossover pilot study.Clinical oral investigations · 2021Trial
- Efficacy of Sesame-Based Oil Pulling in Plaque Reduction: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Predictors and development patterns of approximal caries: a retrospective cross-sectional radiographic assessment.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Toothbrushing behavior over time: A correlational analysis of repeatedly assessed brushing performance.PloS one · 2024Article
- Delivery of biologics: Topical administration.Biomaterials · 2023Review
- Periodontal Management in Periodontally Healthy Orthodontic Patients with Fixed Appliances: An Umbrella Review of Self-Care Instructions and Evidence-Based Recommendations.Dentistry journal · 2023Review
- Patients' awareness regarding the quality of their oral hygiene: development and validation of a new measurement instrument.BMC oral health · 2022Article
- Assessment of the professional dental cleaning knowledge, behavior and medical compliance among dentists, medical doctors and non-medical staffs: a cross sectional study in Chongqing, China.BMC oral health · 2022Article
- A Global, In-Market Evaluation of Toothbrushing Behaviour and Self-assessed Gingival Bleeding with Use of App Data from an Interactive Electric Toothbrush.Oral health & preventive dentistry · 2022Article
- What characterizes effective tooth brushing of daily users of powered versus manual toothbrushes?BMC oral health · 2022Article
- Supportive Home Remedies for Orofacial Pain during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: Their Value and Limitations.International journal of dentistry · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWeaknesses in toothbrushing performance can be seen when young adults are instructed to perform habitual toothbrushing. Nothing is known about toothbrushing behavior when instructed to perform to the best abilities. The present study analyzes such behavior and compares it to habitual behavior.
methodsA random sample of N = 98 young adults born in 1995 was examined in 2014/2015.They were asked to perform oral hygiene to the best of their abilities in front of a camera. Videos were analyzed regarding details of brushing behavior. A quality index was developed which describes the extent of the neglect of brushing on palatinal and vestibular surfaces. Data were compared to those of an earlier study of young adults (born in 1992, examined in 2011, N = 101) who were asked to perform oral hygiene as they habitually do.
resultsThe 1995 cohort (best abilities) brushed their teeth significantly longer than the 1992 cohort (habitual brushing). This was due to significant longer brushing at vestibular and occlusal surfaces. Neglect of palatinal surfaces was similar in both cohorts. Groups did not differ regarding brushing movements. 40% of the brushing time on lateral surfaces was spent with scrubbing movements despite opposing advice in common oral hygiene instructions.
conclusionsToothbrushing to the best of one's abilities might still not be good enough. Young adults apparently lack a reasonable concept of what is meant by high quality toothbrushing. More efforts should thus be undertaken to explain them (and adults) this concept.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.