Dentist's Preference Of Mode Of Teaching Brushing Techniques To Children With Permanent Dentition

Introduction: Proper effective brushing of teeth aids in the management of dental caries and periodontal disease, which can lead to eating difficulties, pain, esthetician problems, malnutrition, reducing self estimation, and consequently reducing the quality of life. The method of teaching plays an important role in maintaining oral hygiene in children. The instructions should be given according to the child's degree of readiness for learning brushing techniques and should include reinforcement and systemic training. Aim: to assess the common methods of teaching tooth brushing in young children with permanent dentition. Materials and Methods: From the patients visiting the private dental hospital, those of the age group 13 to 18 years were considered in the inclusion criteria. Exclusion criteria involved those with poor maintenance of records and follow-up of uncooperative patients. The final sample size was 100. The gender and age were considered and tabulated, followed by their statistical analysis using SPSS software version. Results: From the results of the current study, the most preferred method of teaching brushing technique to children was found to be audiovisual aids such as electronic devices (89%), while 8% preferred to demonstrate using cast and 2% preferred vocal training and reinforcement. Electronic devices were commonly used to demonstrate for both male and female patients which was statistically significant. (p value =0.02) Conclusion: Within the limits of this study, it can be concluded that using audiovisual aids like electronic devices were majorly preferred among dentists to teach children of 13 to 18 years of age (permanent dentition) about the proper methods of brushing. This data is useful because this method is both inexpensive and easily taught