To evaluate the efficacy of various types of toothbrush grips used to remove dental plaque by children in age group 3 - 12 years .

Introduction: The guidance given to young children in tooth brushing is important not only for preventing caries and gingivitis but also for teaching young children the concept of oral hygiene, as a first step towards acquiring regular hygienic habits in their daily lives. Aim: To evaluate the tooth brushing ability in children aged 3 to 12 years and its relation to type of grip used, and the duration of brushing. Method : 100 participants including boys and girls aged 3 to 12 years who sought treatment at the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive dentistry, Darshan Dental College – Udaipur were selected. Children were divided in to three groups according to age: 3-6 years, 7-9 years and 10-12 years. We then investigated the association between grip type and plaque removal, using plaque scores obtained before and after brushing. Result: The most common grip used was distal oblique with more efficient plaque removal and Precision grip being the least efficient in all age groups. The statistical data was significant with p=0.000 and Mean brushing duration for most children was 2.19 min. Conclusion: Distal oblique grip and less than 2 min duration of brushing has more plaque removal efficacy and there was no significance found in plaque removal among different age group.