Plaque Removal Ability in Left- and Right-handed Patients in Different Parts of the Oral Cavity

Background and aims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of right/left handedness on the ability of patients to remove dental plaque in various quadrants of the mouth. Materials and methods. This double-blind cross-sectional study was conducted in two phases with a two-week time interval, on 40 subjects. During the two visits, the subjects were requested to brush their teeth for 3 minutes with a soft toothbrush without a dentifrice using the Bass technique. Pre- and post-brushing plaque indexes (PI) were measured for all the dental surfaces in various quadrants of the mouth. Results. Following plaque removal at the end of the first phase, RH subjects had higher average of PI in upper left quadrants compared to upper right quadrants (P=0.044), whereas lower right quadrants had higher average of PI compared to lower left quadrants (P=0.387). Conclusion. This study indicates that LH subjects have better ability to access the right quadrants of the mouth to perform oral hygiene procedures, whereas RH subjects are more successful in plaque control of the left quadrants.