Do Audio-Visual Aids Help in Improving Oral Hygiene in Orthodontic Patients?

BACKGROUND Oral hygiene maintenance is a crucial factor for successful orthodontic therapy. Oral hygiene compliance is a must to maintain better oral hygiene and plaque control in orthodontic patients. To get good oral hygiene compliance the information has to reach the patients in a proper way. The purpose of this study was to determine whether audio - visual aids help in improving oral hygiene status in orthodontic patients. METHODS A prospective randomized control trial study was done on 30 subjects, who underwent fixed orthodontic appliances selected from the out-patient department of Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, (SIMATs), Chennai. They were divided randomly into two groups based on a computer - generated randomization chart: group 1 – experimental group (audio - visual aids group), group 2 – control group (verbal instruction) respectively. Group 1 subjects received oral hygiene instruction through videotape instructions and group 2 received verbal and written instructions. RESULTS The results were assessed with respect to plaque index scores of both groups. A parametric intragroup comparison (paired ‘t’ test) was done to compare the before and after plaque score of each group and student independent sample ‘t’ test to compare both groups. The plaque score for the verbal group was found to be 0.666 + / - 0.417 and for the audio - visual group it was 1.211 + / - 0.261. A statistically significant P - value (< 0.05) was found between the groups. CONCLUSIONS Patients who were given instructions through audio - visual aids had better improvement in plaque scores than patients who were given instructions verbally. KEY WORDS Audio - Visual Aids, Dental Plaque Index, Oral Hygiene, Oral Hygiene Index, Orthodontic Appliance