ArticleSpecial care in dentistry : official publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry2024
Pilot study of the effectiveness and acceptability of an automatic toothbrush among residents in long-term care.
Article in Special care in dentistry : official publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.
- Behavioural Change Interventions for Preventing Periodontal Disease in Older Adults: A Literature Review.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
aimsReduced mobility and/or low cognitive functioning may make it difficult for residents with special care needs in long-term care homes to brush their own teeth every day. Demands on caregiving staff in these homes may also result in skipping essential toothbrushing tasks, resulting in poor oral health. METHODS AND
resultsThis article provides the results of a 6-week pilot study that tested the effectiveness and acceptability of the Willo automatic toothbrush "robot" used among residents in long-term care compared to their regular toothbrush. Using a non-randomized delayed-start design with a convenience sample (age 38-82 years, mean = 66.9), each study participant underwent biofilm assessments at three timepoints: (1) baseline as the study began (mean = 2.33), (2) after using their regular toothbrush daily for 3 weeks (mean = 2.21), and (3) after using the Willo automatic toothbrush daily for 3 weeks (mean = 0.31). Using t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA, the Willo was significantly more effective than regular toothbrushing at reducing biofilm (p = .00004) and gingivitis (p = .002) over time. Participants also responded to brief weekly satisfaction surveys about their experiences using the two different brushes. The Willo was generally tolerated among participants, who largely reported that the brush was easy to use, not uncomfortable, and did not cause pain or bleeding. While approximately half of the study participants reported liking the Willo, the remainder did not want to replace their regular brush with the Willo, for a variety of reasons.
conclusionWe recommend more research on the effectiveness and acceptability of automatic toothbrushes with long-term care residents, caregivers, and others who may benefit from their use.
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Registered trials
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