Effect of two toothcleaning frequencies on periodontal status in patients with advanced periodontitis

Objective: To compare the effect of once a day toothcleaning with once in 2 days toothcleaning in patients with advanced periodontitis. Material and Methods: Twenty-two patients, aged 34-54 years were given intensive oral hygiene (OH) and half their mouth root planed with re-assessment 6 weeks later. The patients were randomised into either a once a day toothcleaning group or a once in 2 days toothcleaning group. The effects of the two cleaning regimens were assessed during a 6-week follow-up period. Two patients were excluded from the study. Analysis of covariance was used to test the difference between the two groups at baseline and at 6 weeks. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in plaque reduction (p=0.01) and reduction of probing pocket depth >6 mm (p=0.05) in the OH-only sites. No significant difference was found between the two cleaning regimens in the combined oral hygiene with root planing sites. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that in patients with advanced periodontitis, once a day toothcleaning is more effective than once in 2 days toothcleaning in otherwise untreated sites.