[The efficacy of dental plaque removed by using sonic electric toothbrush in children].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of using sonic electric toothbrush to clean the teeth and control dental plaque in children. METHODS: 50 children aged 6 to 7 years old were selected and divided into 2 groups according to the use of sonic electric toothbrush and traditional manual toothbrush (control group). The numbers of dental plaque surface and PLI before and after tooth brushing were recorded. The data of the two groups were analyzed with SPSS10.0 software package for student's t test and chi(2) test. RESULTS: The ratio of dental plaque removal was 70.22% by using sonic electric toothbrush and 39.08% in the control group. The efficacy of dental plaque removal on the lingual and mesial buccal surface by using sonic electric toothbrush was 2 times greater than the control group. The PLI and the ratio of dental plaque removal were significantly different between the 2 groups (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Sonic electric toothbrush can help children effectively remove dental plaque. It's an efficient instrument for oral care of children.