Investigation of the Additional Use of a Single‑tufted Brush with a Standard Manual Toothbrush in Dental Students.

PURPOSE: Effective plaque control is essential for preventing and managing periodontal diseases. However, standard manual toothbrushing alone may be insufficient, especially in anatomically challenging areas. This study evaluated the adjunctive effect of a single-tufted brush on plaque and gingival indices when used with a standard manual toothbrush in periodontally healthy dental students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this single-center, matched-pairs comparative study, 40 periodontally healthy dental students used a standard manual toothbrush alone on one side (control) of the mouth and a standard manual toothbrush plus a single-tufted brush on the contralateral side (experimental) for 2 weeks. Plaque and gingival indices were recorded at baseline and 2 weeks by a calibrated, blinded examiner. Data were analyzed using Friedman's ANOVA for repeated measures and Dunn's post-hoc test (α = 0.05). RESULTS: Both groups showed statistically significant reductions in plaque and gingival indices over time (p 0.001). Plaque index reduction did not differ statistically significantly between sides (p = 0.160), whereas gingival index reduction was statistically significantly greater on the experimental side (p 0.001). Furthermore, 82.5% of participants expressed willingness to continue using the single-tufted brush. CONCLUSION: Adjunctive use of a single-tufted brush statistically significantly improved gingival health within a short period. It may be recommended as a practical supplementary oral hygiene aid, particularly for areas inadequately cleaned by standard manual toothbrushing alone.