Comparative assessment of three brushing techniques among in India

Dental plaque control in young children remains a challenge and the most effective brushing technique for this age group is still unclear. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the horizontal scrub, Fones and modified Bass methods in 120 government school children aged 6-9 years, who were randomly assigned to groups and taught their respective techniques using a cast model. Plaque levels were recorded before and after instruction using the Silness and Löe index and analyzed with ANOVA and post-hoc tests. All three methods significantly reduced plaque levels, but the modified Bass technique produced the greatest improvement. The modified Bass method achieves significantly greater plaque reduction than Fones and horizontal scrub techniques and thereby supporting evidence based recommendations for school based oral health instruction in this critical mixed dentition period.