Evaluation and Acceptance of an Electric Toothbrush Designed for Dependent Patients

INTRODUCTIONA key barrier to standardizing evidence-based oral health protocols for highly dependent patients is the lack of validated and accepted oral health products designed specifically for use by caregivers. This study compared preferences by users of a novel electric toothbrush and a manual t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2021-06, Vol.13 (6), p.e15372-e15372
Main Authors: Prendergast, Virginia, Chapple, Kristina M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Healthcare Technology
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Summary:INTRODUCTIONA key barrier to standardizing evidence-based oral health protocols for highly dependent patients is the lack of validated and accepted oral health products designed specifically for use by caregivers. This study compared preferences by users of a novel electric toothbrush and a manual toothbrush in a health care setting. METHODSWe prospectively enrolled health care providers as volunteers. Volunteer brushers completed simulated tooth brushing sessions of mock-intubated and non-intubated volunteer brushees with both toothbrushes. Volunteers rated different domains of toothbrush preference in an anonymous, optional survey. RESULTSA total of 133 health care providers volunteered (123 brushers [providers brushing teeth] and 10 brushees [those having their teeth brushed]). The novel electric toothbrush received significantly higher positive ratings than the standard hospital-issue manual toothbrush in all domains that we surveyed: ease of use, thoroughness, safety, shape and size of the brush head, overall cleanliness, time requirements, and efficiency (p
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.15372