a) Observed tooth brushing performance
tooth brushing, tooth contact, tooth
PLAQUE
Assessment and video analyses of the behavioral parameters were conducted according to the procedures of previous studies (e.g., [Brushing parameters were as follows:
tooth contact time;brushing movements (circular, horizontal, vertical, modified bass technique);location of the brush with respect to surfaces (outer, inner, occlusal); andlocation of the brush with respect to sextants.Interdental hygiene parameters were as follows:
whether a device was used and, if yes, which device was used;number of interdental spaces processed; andappropriateness of flossing technique (i.e., guiding the floss between the teeth until reaching the gum line and curving it into a C shape against one tooth to clean the proximal tooth section).For each parameter, one examiner analyzed all videos with respect to this parameter and another who double-coded ten of the videos (see below). Altogether, seven examiners carried out the video analyses. All examiners were blinded to the experimental conditions. With respect to the clinical parameters, three examiners were completely blinded. Two of the examiners (TS, D2) were involved in the plaque assessment. To ensure their blinding as good as possible, there was a time gap of six to eight weeks between plaque assessment and video analysis. All examiners conducting the video analysis were calibrated before the beginning of the video observation. The calibration procedure was identical to previous studies (for details, see [The following additional parameters were calculated from the behavioral data obtained: proportional distribution of brushing time to outer, inner and occlusal surfaces (i.e., percentage of brushing time); proportional distribution of brushing time to horizontal, vertical, circular and MBT movements; and overall quality index for tooth brushing performance regarding the distribution of brushing time across sextants (QIT-S; see [