Plaque control and oral hygiene aids

Question 1

– primary agent in development of:
 Dental Caries
 Periodontal Disease

Answer 1

Plaque

Question 2

_____ Control leads to:
 Resolution of gingival inflammation in the early stages
 Reduction of calculus formation

Answer 2

Plaque

Question 3

Oral health can neither be attained or preserved without

______

Answer 3

plaque control

Question 4

 Need to be effective/personalized

 Be non-traumatic when cleaning the teeth

Answer 4

Home care instructions

Question 5

What are the 3 toothbrush features that are important?

Answer 5

Able to reach all areas needing to be clean
Size of head
No tissue trauma

Question 6

\_\_\_\_ bristles:
 Made of wild boar or hog hair
 Bristles vary greatly in each 
filament
 Varies texture, size, flexibility
 Absorbs water, bristles soften
 Hollow bristles
 May harbor bacteria

Answer 6

Natural

Question 7

____ bristles:

 Flex 10x’s more before breaking
 Do not split or abrade
 Easier to clean and dry more 
rapidly
 Shape, stiffness of bristles more 
standardized
 Manufactured according to federal 
specifications

Answer 7

Nylon bristles

Question 8

What is the average life of toothbrush?

Answer 8

3 months

Question 9

 Angle bristles toward gingival 
margin (approximately 45o 
angle)
 Gently press bristles to enter 
sulcus and/or embrasures
 Subgingival cleansing, gingival 
stimulation
 Vibrate brush (or use small 
strokes) without disengaging 
bristles
 ‘Roll’ the instrument toward 
the incisal/occlusal
 Replace and repeat on next 2 
or 3 teeth
 Turn brush lengthwise
 Place ‘heel’ of brush 
along gingival margin
 Vibrate to dislodge 
plaque
 ‘Roll’ the toothbrush to 
cleanse the lingual 
surface

Answer 9

Modified bass

Question 10

 90 Degrees to tooth
 Larger circles over teeth and gingiva
 Easy for children to pick up
 Option for those with limited 
dexterity

Answer 10

Fone’s (circular)

Question 11

_____ action of brush
 Uses the motion of the bristles to
remove plaque and debris
Rotation oscillation

Answer 11

Mechanical action of brush

Question 12

____ action of brush:
 Emits sound waves in addition to
the movement of the brush
filaments

Answer 12

Sonic

Question 13

_____ action of tooth brush:
 Temporarily reverses the negative ionic
charge of a tooth to positive
 Portion of toothbrush that is also positively
charge “attracts” the plaque and food
particles away from the tooth
 Allows bristles the brush the loosened
particles away

Answer 13

Ionic

Question 14

The purpose of _____ is to remove interproximal plaque….not to
dislodge food wedged between the teeth.

Answer 14

flossing

Question 15

Tear off approximately __ inches

of dental floss

Answer 15

18 inches

Question 16

 The f loss is moved back and
forth until it is through the
contact

Answer 16

 See-saw motion

Question 17

T/F: Do NOT ‘pop’ the floss

Answer 17

True

Question 18

 Adapt to each interproximal surface by making C-shape.

 Floss should be placed into sulcus area

Answer 18

Flossing

Question 19

 Once the floss is below the contact
area and wrapped around the tooth,
it should be moved _____
against the tooth

Answer 19

“up and down”

Question 20

 Recommended for patient’s with:
 Physical disabilities
 Poor manual dexterity
 Limited mouth opening
 Large hands
 Sensitive gag reflex
 Difficulty with manual flossing

Answer 20

Floss holders

Question 21

 Plastic toothpick on one end, floss
on the other
 Disadvantage: floss cannot be
changed as it gets used

Answer 21

Daily flossers/Floss swords

Question 22

 May help with patient motivation
 Helpful for patients who need handle with
larger diameter

Answer 22

Automated flossers

Question 23

 Floss is threaded through loop
 Used to carry floss interproximally
 Ideal for:  
 abutment teeth
 beneath pontics
 ortho appliances 
 teeth that are splinted together 
 tight contact

Answer 23

Floss threader

Question 24

 Ideal for plaque removal under

pontics and ortho appliances

Answer 24

Super floss

Question 25

Created to floss around orthodontic
brackets
Available online through Paradise Dental
Technologies (PDT)
½ inch floss spread between two “spatula”
ends with a bracket brush on the opposite
end

Answer 25

Platypus Ortho Flosser

Question 26

 Used for:   
 large embrasures 
 teeth with concavities 
 around fixed appliances 
 ortho appliances 
 Furcations ( Class III, IV

Answer 26

Interdental Brushes

Proxybrush

Question 27

 Soft, flexible bristles
 Tapered to work around appliances
 Easy to use for patients who find flossing cumbersome
 Latex free

Answer 27

Soft picks

Question 28

 Primary use is for gingival 
massage
 Limited use for removing plaque 
from exposed furcation(s), along 
gingival margins, and open 
embrasures

Answer 28

Rubber-tipped stimulator

Question 29

 Useful for difficult to reach places: 
around ortho appliances
around pontic(s) 
lingual of crowded lower anterior teeth
distal of most posterior teeth 
wide embrasure spaces
exposed furcation(s)

Answer 29

End tuft toothbrushes

Question 30

More narrowed brush head
Fits along the gumline
Softer bristles for inflamed gums

Answer 30

Sulcus brush

Question 31

 Trace along gingival margins to 
remove plaque in sulcus/pockets
 May be used along: 
crown margins 
accessible furcations
concave proximal surfaces 
orthodontic appliances

Answer 31

Toothpick Holders

Perio-aid; D-PLAK-R

Question 32

 Balsa or birchwood most 
common
 Triangular in cross-section
 Stick is inserted from the facial, 
with flat surface resting on 
gingiva
 Moved from buccal to lingual

Answer 32

Wooden or Plastic Triangular Sticks

Stim-U-Dent

Question 33

 Can result in disruption of loosely
attached or unattached 
supra/subgingival plaque
 Irrigation not indicated for pts who have 
effective OH or no inflammation
 It alone is ineffective in reducing 
inflammation

Answer 33

Oral irrigators

Question 34

Irrigation with _____ is better than irrigation with just water

Answer 34

CHX

Question 35

Can oral irrigation be used to effectively remove plaque without mechanical removal?

Answer 35

No