Observational studyBMC oral health2019
Toothbrushing behavior in children - an observational study of toothbrushing performance in 12 year olds.
Observational study in BMC oral health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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
27 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring Toothbrushing Duration Among Adults: A Systematic Review.International journal of dental hygiene · 2026Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Power Versus Manual Toothbrushes on Plaque Removal and Gingival Health in Children-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of dental hygiene · 2025Pooled it
- Manual toothbrushing techniques for plaque removal and the prevention of gingivitis-A systematic review with network meta-analysis.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Comparative evaluation of cranberry extract and sodium fluoride as mouth rinses on S. mutans counts in children: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 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
- "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
- T-shaped toothbrush for plaque removal and gingival health in children: a randomized controlled trial.BMC oral health · 2022Trial
- Cleansing efficacy of an auto-cleaning electronic toothbrushing device: a randomized-controlled crossover pilot study.Clinical oral investigations · 2021Trial
- Impact of Oral Health Educational Interventions on Oral Hygiene Status of Children with Hearing Loss: A Randomized Controlled Trial.BioMed research international · 2021Trial
- Toothbrushing ability, caries burden, and oral health-related quality of life among stunted preschool children in Bandung-Indonesia.BMC oral health · 2025Article
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- Article
- The Relationship Between Manual Dexterity and Toothbrushing Efficiency in Preschool Children: A Crossover Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Comparison of the Short Time Effect of an Oral Hygiene Education in Four Sessions via Quantitative Light-Induced Fluorescence Technology Versus Disclosing Agents in Children: A Randomized, Crossover Clinical Trial.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Toothbrushing behavior over time: A correlational analysis of repeatedly assessed brushing performance.PloS one · 2024Article
- Delivery of biologics: Topical administration.Biomaterials · 2023Review
- Set up and assessment of progression criteria for internal pilots: the Brushing RemInder 4 Good oral HealTh (BRIGHT) trial example.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2023Article
- A descriptive study on oral hygiene practice and caries increment in children with growth stunting.Frontiers in oral health · 2023Article
- 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
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMany countries offer systematic group prevention programs in kindergarten and school in order to promote children's oral health. Little is known, however, about the actual toothbrushing abilities of children when group prevention programs end.
methodsIn Germany, all children take advantage from a nationwide group prevention program (called "Gruppenprophylaxe") lasting from kindergarten up to sixth grade (12 years of age). Standardized recommendations are given concerning brushing systematics and brushing movements. N = 174 children at the age of 12 were thus randomly selected from two German towns and were asked to perform toothbrushing to the best of their abilities in front of a mirror which also served as a camera. Brushing behavior was analyzed by video analysis.
resultsChildren brushed their teeth for an average of 200 s ± 80.48 s (mean ± SD). Still, more than 55% missed at least one sextant when brushing inner surfaces, 16% missed them all. Only 7.5% of the children brushed both inner and outer surfaces by the intended movements (vertical movements on the inner surfaces and circular movements on the outer surfaces) for at least 90% of the respective brushing time. Instead, horizontal brushing was very common on the lateral surfaces.
conclusionsThe present analysis indicates that children have low efficiency to adopt the tooth-brushing recommendations given in prevention programs. This is surprising as great endeavors are made to help children internalize the recommendations. Future research is needed to better understand which factors impede adoption of toothbrushing recommendations in children and which efforts are necessary to improve their toothbrushing abilities.
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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.