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A study on toothbrush wear index and wear rate in some kindergarten children

Yu-Jin Choi, Su-Bin Lee, Chae-Eun Jeon, Jung-Ok Choi

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the toothbrush wear index and wear rate in some kindergarten children in order to study proper toothbrush management method. Methods: A toothbrush used once a day for 50 kindergarten children was collected for 1 week and 4 weeks. The mean value and standard error of toothbrush wear index (WI) and wear rate (WR) were analyzed according to the criteria. SEM analysis was performed to observe the shape of the tip of the bristles. Statistical program SPSS was used for analysis. Results: In the wear index (WI) measurement result, there was a significant difference according to the usage period between 1 week and 4 weeks. The average wear rate was 0.840 ± 0.344 and 1.458 ± 0.390 at 1 and 4 weeks, respectively. Thereby, showing a large difference. In terms of the wear rate, the toothbrushes used by boys for 4 weeks showed a larger wear rate than that of the girls. Conclusion: The change in the toothbrush shape varied according to the usage period. In addition, the tips of the toothbrush used for 4 weeks were cracked and many microorganisms inhabited the cracked tips. Based on this, it is possible to provide basic data for corrected toothbrush management plan during early childhood.