Discussion
orthodontic
PLAQUE
This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of three manual toothbrushes (CA, FT, and OT) on plaque removal by using the Modified Bass method of brushing in patients who had fixed orthodontic appliances. The FT toothbrush was significantly better at reducing plaque than the OT and CA toothbrushes. No differences were found between the OT brush and CA brushes. Our results revealed, the FT performed better than the OT and CA brushes in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances.There are many toothbrushes specifically designed for patients with braces. The manual orthodontic toothbrush is one of several hygiene tools that orthodontists recommend to their patients [The majority of patients preferred utilizing the orthodontic toothbrush because of its unique bristle design, which made cleaning the area around bonded brackets easier. Studies on the effectiveness of OT toothbrushes report conflicting results. According to some studies, FT and OT toothbrushes are not significantly different [Our study found significant plaque reduction in the anterior and posterior tooth groups with the FT toothbrush, compared with the OT, and CA toothbrushes. Our findings are also slightly different from the findings from a recent meta-analysis which showed that the OT toothbrushes resulted in a greater reduction in plaque, compared to the conventional toothbrush [The reasons for this could be explained by the fact that certain bristle configurations, like lowered bristles in the middle of the brush field, may have had lower cleaning effectiveness compared to planar bristle fields around the gingival sulcus area, possibly because the brush ends did not engage with the gingival sulcus to remove plaque buildup. In addition, depending on the force used to use them, some toothbrushes have a variable cleaning effect. There are questions about the toothbrush's efficiency in cleaning the gingiva, despite assertions that its V-shaped bristles increase contact with orthodontic appliance.The use of a toothbrush with an angled bristle tuft configuration has consistently been proven more effective in clinical studies with intact teeth [