Evaluation of the effectiveness of a custom-made toothbrush in maintaining oral hygiene and gingival health in cerebral palsy patients

Aim: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of customized toothbrushes in maintenance of oral hygiene and gingival health with that of conventional toothbrushes in children with cerebral palsy. Methods: Thirty patients with cerebral palsy in the age group of 6 to 18 years were randomly divided into two groups—group I (normal toothbrush) and group II (customized toothbrush). Common oral hygiene instructions were given to both the groups. Before beginning the study, plaque index (PI) and modified gingival index (MGI) were recorded, following which patients were made to practice their routine twice a day brushing with either normal toothbrush or custom-made toothbrush for 3 weeks. At the end of 3 weeks, PI and MGI were rerecorded. The subjects belonging to group II were also made to perform muscle exercises using the modified brush head. Results: Significantly high percentage drop between the pre- and post-PI as well as MGI (31.55% and 30.23%, respectively) was observed in the custom-made toothbrush group, while the percentage drop of only 8.34% (PI) and 14.51% (MGI) was seen in the normal toothbrush group. Conclusions: Custom-made tooth brushes increased the efficiency of maintaining oral hygiene and gingival health of individuals with cerebral palsy.