Powered or manual toothbrushes for people with disabilities – which is better?

Design

A systematic review.

Aim

Assess the effectiveness of manual toothbrushes (MTB) and powered toothbrushes (PTB) for people with physical or intellectual disabilities.

Data sources and study selection

The following data sources (MEDLINE-PubMed, Cochrane-CENTRAL and EMBASE) were searched from the date of creation to February 2022 for papers which met the inclusion criteria. There were no language limitations set. The included studies were then hand-searched for relevant studies to be included.

Data extraction and synthesis

Two reviewers screened the studies from the searches using Rayyan web application (Artificial-Intelligence search engine). Studies which met the inclusion criteria were selected.

The studies were independently screened for the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Disagreement was resolved by discussion and consensus, or by a third party. Studies were then classified as low/moderate/high risk of bias. Analysis was performed on four subgroups; individual performing the brushing – (1) caregiver or (2) participant, main disability of the participant – (3) physical or (4) intellectual disability. Due to insufficient numerical data, a descriptive analysis was completed in place of the planned meta-analysis.

Results

In total, 16 publications were included within the results. There was no significant difference between manual or powered toothbrushing in both disability groups for the removal of plaque or gingival health. This applied to both self-brushing and caregiver brushing.

Conclusions

There is no significant difference between powered and manual toothbrushes for effective oral hygiene maintence for people with physical or intellectual disabilities.