{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T01:20:43Z","timestamp":1787016043012,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]],"date-time":"2025-12-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765584000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":42,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Special Care in Dentistry"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Children with visual impairment face oral hygiene challenges, relying on tactile cues rather than visual feedback. Conventional toothbrushes create barriers to adequate plaque control, while triple\u2010headed toothbrushes offer simultaneous multi\u2010surface cleaning through tactile positioning. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of triple\u2010headed toothbrushes versus conventional toothbrushes in reducing plaque and gingival scores among children and adolescents with visual impairment.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This single\u2010centre, single\u2010blind, randomized controlled trial enrolled 108 children and adolescents (mean age 12.17\u00a0\u00b1\u00a03.48 years) with visual impairment in Belagavi, Karnataka, India. Participants were randomly allocated to triple\u2010headed toothbrush or conventional single\u2010headed toothbrush groups (54 each). All received structured oral health education and brushed twice daily under caregiver supervision for 3 months. Gingival score and plaque score were assessed using the Loe and Silness Gingival Index and the Silness and Loe Plaque Index at baseline and post\u2010intervention. The triple\u2010headed toothbrush acceptability was evaluated through structured questionnaires at the first week and 3 months.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Both groups demonstrated statistically significant reductions in gingival and plaque scores compared to baseline (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0&lt;\u00a00.05). The triple\u2010headed toothbrush group demonstrated a greater improvement in gingival health compared to the conventional toothbrush group. Post\u2010intervention gingival scores were significantly lower in the triple\u2010headed toothbrush group than in the conventional toothbrush group (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0=\u00a00.009). Plaque reduction was also greater in the test group (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0&lt;\u00a00.001). Acceptability of the triple\u2010headed toothbrush increased significantly over 3 months (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0&lt;\u00a00.001). No adverse events were recorded.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The triple\u2010headed toothbrush demonstrated superior effectiveness in both plaque reduction and gingival health improvement compared to the conventional toothbrush in children and adolescents with visual impairment. The intervention showed high user acceptability and safety, offering a promising oral hygiene solution for this vulnerable population.<\/jats:p>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:bold>Trial Registration<\/jats:bold>\n                      : CTRI\/2025\/03\/082795 (registered 19\/03\/2025)\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/scd.70125","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]],"date-time":"2025-12-13T12:05:21Z","timestamp":1765627521000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Effectiveness of Triple\u2010Headed Versus Conventional Single\u2010Headed Toothbrushes on Gingival Health and Plaque Control Among Children and Adolescents With Visual Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"45","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8621-5335","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Biswadeep","family":"Roychowdhury","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Dentistry, KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KLE University)  Belagavi India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5607-332X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sagar","family":"Jalihal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Dentistry, KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KLE University)  Belagavi India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7776-5763","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anil V.","family":"Ankola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Dentistry, KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KLE University)  Belagavi India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8680-8857","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roopali M.","family":"Sankeshwari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Dentistry, KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KLE University)  Belagavi India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0816-7297","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karthiga","family":"Sakthi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Dentistry, KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KLE University)  Belagavi India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-7371-3036","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dorothy","family":"Dutta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Dentistry, KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KLE University)  Belagavi India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-0238-9308","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Siva","family":"Shankkari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Dentistry, KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KLE University)  Belagavi India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-9111-6150","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kavitha","family":"Ragu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Dentistry, KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KLE University)  Belagavi India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]]},"reference":[{"issue":"110","key":"e_1_2_8_2_1","first-page":"S16","article-title":"Understanding Definitions of Visual Impairment and Functional Vision","volume":"33","author":"Kv V.","year":"2020","journal-title":"Community Eye Health"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4103\/ijo.IJO_1030_18"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4103\/ijo.IJO_1144_18"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17796\/jcpd.34.3.j4781g2w8891848u"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_6_1","first-page":"848","article-title":"Oral Health and Dental Care of Children With Visual Impairment \u2013 An Over View","volume":"18","author":"Nirmala S. 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