口腔衛生会誌 J Dent Hlth 59

（2）
, 2009

Exploring a Strategy to Expand the Use of Interdental Brushes According to Experience,

Ability to Choose an Appropriate Size, and Effectiveness of Instruction

Akira ISHIKAWA1), Ritsuko ONOMA1), Mie MASUDA1),

Toyoko MORITA2, 3) and Yoji YAMAZAKI2)

1)
Hamamatsu-city Oral Health & Care Center
2)
The Lion Foundation for Dental Health
3)
Department of Oral Health Sciences, Nihon University School of Dentistry

Abstract: It is important to clean interdental regions to prevent periodontal disease, and so the
expanding use of an interdental brush, which is one of the tools to clean these regions, is also important.
We performed a survey to explore a strategy to expand interdental brush use.
One-hundred and four persons who joined a maternal dental class participated in this study. Although
awareness of interdental brushes was high, fewer than half had used them, and habitual users were few.
On the other hand, three quarters had interdental regions into which a brush could be inserted. Many
subjects began to use interdental brushes based on the recommendations of other persons. A lack of
knowledge and experience according to inexperience was common reasons for not using them.
It was difficult for them to choose an appropriate size of interdental brush visually. Through actual
experience, the rate of choosing an appropriate size rose, but it was still insufficient. After instruction on
interdental brush use, persons with many sites of sufficient insertion could use them easily and intended to
do so in the future. The number of interdental brush users increased significantly at 2 months after the
one-time instruction. The higer the number of brush insertion sites, the more subjects used the brushes
after 2 months. Eighteen percent of respondents had bought interdental brushes after 2 months.
To expand the use of interdental brushes for the prevention of periodontal disease, it is suggested that
there is a strong need to educate people on the usage of brushes at every opportunity through public
health services and dental clinics. It is thought that instruction by professionals would be more effective.

J Dent Hlth 59: 101―110, 2009

Key words: Interdental brush, Effectiveness of instruction, Prevention of periodontal disease