Purpose: To determine the effect of mechanical tooth cleaning by toothbrush and dental floss on mutans streptococci in the saliva of preschool children.
Materials and methods: This blinded, randomised controlled clinical trial included 54 3-year-old preschool children with detectable mutans streptococci in saliva. The children were randomly divided into a test and a control group. Dental college students cleaned the teeth of test group participants with toothbrush and dental floss under the indication of a plaque disclosing agent once a day. The control group received no intervention. Dentocult SM Strip mutans (D-SM) strips were used to test the mutans streptococci in saliva.
Results: The D-SM test scores declined from 1.82 to 0.95 for the test group after the teeth were cleaned 10 times (P < 0.001) and the scores increased to 1.62 after tooth cleaning ceased for 2 weeks (P > 0.05 compared with baseline). The D-SM level of the control group did not change significantly.
Conclusion: Meticulous and continuous plaque control with toothbrush and dental floss can decrease the mutans streptococci level in preschool children. However, the effect ceased as the intervention ceased.