Comparative Evaluation of Plaque Removal Efficacy of Plaque-Indicating Dye Dentifrice Vsnon-Dye Dentifrice in Enhancing Oral Hygiene among Orthodontic Patients. A Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Good oral hygiene is always a challenge for patients undergoing orthodontic treatment because food particles get readily trapped around the braces which makes it harder to remove plaque. Hence, keeping plaque under control is one of the most effective measure of maintaining healthy gingiva. Therefore, this can be achieved by the use of toothpaste containing plaque indicating dye which will demonstrate higher plaque removal efficacy than those using conventional disclosing tablets.

Methodology: A double blind randomised controlled trial was conducted among twenty orthodontic adults. The participants were randomly allocated into two groups. Group I-(experimental group) dye containing toothpastse, Group ll-(Negative control) tooth paste without dye. Oral hygiene instructions, brushing techniques and use of standardised tooth paste was explained to all the participants. The plaque and gingival index were recorded at baseline and 15th day of follow up. Wilcoxon signed Rank test is used to compare the mean differences before and after treatment within each group for plaque and gingival indices. Mannwhitney U test to estimate differences in the mean plaque and gingival indices between the groups.

Results: In the present study, a statistically significant reduction in the mean plaque Index and gingival index scores was observed in Group I when compared to Group II.

Conclusion: To conclude Plaque indicating dye containing toothpaste together with proper use and oral hygiene instructions, significantly increases plaque removal efficacy of the Orthodontic patients.