What do systematic reviews say?

Toothpaste with a plaque-disclosing agent vs Conventional toothpaste

• Oral hygiene interventions for people with intellectual disabilities 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Short term (<6 weeks)
  Simplified Green & Vermillion Oral Hygiene Index (plaque), mean 10 days; percent mean difference 65 (intervention) vs 15 (control), P<0.0001 favouring the disclosing-agent toothpaste; 40 participants (SoF states 80,…
  1 study · 40 participants
  Very low

Oral hygiene training (toothbrushing routine) of people with ID vs No oral hygiene training of people with ID

It is very uncertain whether oral hygiene training (toothbrushing routine) of people with ID changes plaque (short term) compared with no oral hygiene training of people with ID (very low certainty).

• Oral hygiene interventions for people with intellectual disabilities 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Short term (<6 weeks)
  MD -0.47 [-0.92, -0.02]
  1 study · 10 participants
  Very low

Special manual toothbrush (self, carer or carer-assisted brushing) vs Manual toothbrush

It is very uncertain whether special manual toothbrush (self, carer or carer-assisted brushing) changes plaque (short term) compared with conventional manual toothbrush (self, carer or carer-assisted… (very low certainty).

• Oral hygiene interventions for people with intellectual disabilities 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Short term (<6 weeks)
  MD 0.20 [-0.45, 0.85]
  1 study · 25 participants
  Very low

Electric toothbrush (self, carer or carer-assisted brushing) vs Manual toothbrush

• Oral hygiene interventions for people with intellectual disabilities 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Short term (<6 weeks)
  Assorted plaque indices scale 0-5, 1-4 weeks; 247 participants (4 RCTs); Very Low. Uncertain effect on plaque short term: 2 studies (69 participants) favoured the electric toothbrush; 2 studies (178 participants)…
  4 studies · 247 participants
  Very low