Exploring the Role of Novel Colour-Changing Toothpaste as an Aid for Improving Children's Oral Hygiene Behaviour: An In Vivo Study.

Background: Driving children to maintain good oral hygiene prevails as a universal concern. Colour-changing toothpastes render visual feedback designed to enhance brushing technique, plaque elimination and enthusiasm. Aim: To assess the efficacy of an innovative colour-changing toothpaste in enhancing brushing performance, motivation and plaque scores among children aged 6-12 years. Methodology: A parallel arm randomised controlled trial was conducted amid 100 children aged 6-12 years. Study subjects were assigned into an experimental group (colour-changing toothpaste) and a control group (standard non-colour-changing toothpaste) using block randomisation. Brushing technique instruction was standardised. Plaque index (Silness and Loe) was documented at baseline (P0), 5 weeks (P1) and 10 weeks (P2). Motivation and behaviour were evaluated utilising validated child and parent-based Likert scales and daily brushing logs. Results: The results showed that the colour-changing toothpaste depicted slow yet consistent enhancement in plaque reduction, oral hygiene habits, brushing technique awareness and motivation, with significant results across most comparisons. However, parental perception improved significantly in the conventional group, whereas parental satisfaction was higher and more consistent in the colour-changing toothpaste post-intervention. Conclusion: The integration of visual indicators in toothbrushing may contribute to a noteworthy role in boosting oral hygiene behaviour among children.