The use of electric toothbrushes is now an emerging trend in all ages. Electric toothbrushes aid teeth brushing by mean of vibration or ultrasonic energy, and they are said to be more efficient in plaque removing. In early care, many parents are considering an electric toothbrush for their child, but is that really needed?
In a recent publication in the Nature, the author, Amanda Gaile, attempted to clear this myth by asking 120 children to join her research and randomly assigned them to the two groups: the normal toothbrush users and the electric toothbrush users. Plaque scores plus a post-brushing questionnaire examining executive function/motor skills using indices from the occupational and developmental sciences (e.g. shoelace tying), was completed by the parents. After seeing the plaque scores and combining them with other factors, the author concluded that these children can use the normal toothbrush as efficiently as the electric one:
• Never has poor handwriting
• Always writes their address
• Always ties their own shoes
• Always cuts food into bite-sized pieces
• Can cut out complex shapes.
Good handwriting and other motor/cognitive skills were linked to good tooth brushing and manual and electric toothbrushing were equally effective at removing plaque. If a child was able to play a musical instrument well, they were likely to have less plaque. The study also demonstrated that parents are good judges of their children’s abilities and motor skills.
From this study, it can be withdrawn that buying an electric toothbrush for your child is not as important as helping them develop their physical health, especially in this quick-growing stage (5-11 years old)
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41432-019-0038-1
0 Comments