Utilization of Special Grip Toothbrushes for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Burhanuddin Daeng Pasiga

Cerebral Palsy children with physical limitations have obstacles in doing daily activities, including in this case the act of brushing teeth, it is necessary to use a toothbrush with a special grip design so that they can hold a toothbrush when cleaning teeth. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of toothbrushes with a special handle on oral hygiene and the level of bad breath of patients with Cerebral Palsy. This type of research is Pre-Experimental with a design before and after testing. A total of 15 Cerebral Palsy patients who met the criteria for 21 physically disabled children at SLB - YPAC Makassar, Indonesia. A specially designed toothbrush is made by adding a toothbrush handle made of Clay, and then the patient grasps the material so that it is printed according to the handle. Assessment of oral hygiene based on the OHIS index and bad breath using the "Breath Checker" tool. The examination is carried out 3 times, namely before, after 3 days and 7 days. The result study based on the percentage of oral hygiene status both before and after the intervention occurred increased from 1.67% to 46.67%. The effectiveness of using a special toothbrush for Cerebral Palsy patients can reduce the OHIS value before and after the intervention by 37.1%. It also has an effect on changes in bad breath status where before the intervention of the use of toothbrushes most of the bad breath status was "moderate" (60%) and bad breath status as much as (40%), then after the intervention was obtained an increase in the percentage of bad breath in the category "mild" up to 60% and the percentage of the "No Odor" category by 40%. Based on the study conducted, the effectiveness of using a special toothbrush design using a special handle can be used to help clean the mouth and reduce bad breath for children Cerebral Palsy.