The Effectiveness of Suction Toothbrush Version 2 on Oral hygiene and Anxiety Associated with Oral Care among Dependent Patients

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study employed a one-group pretest–posttest design. It aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Brush-and-Suction Innovation Version 2 in improving oral cleanliness and reducing anxiety related to oral care. The participants consisted of 15 dependent patients and 8 caregivers of dependent patients, selected through purposive sampling. The research instruments included the Brush-and-Suction Innovation Version 2, an oral cleanliness assessment, an anxiety questionnaire, an innovation quality assessment, and a satisfaction assessment. The instruments demonstrated item-objective congruence values ranging from .67 to 1.00, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .812. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The findings revealed that:

1. After using the innovation, the patients’ oral cleanliness scores significantly improved at the .001 level (z=-3.42, p-value <.001)

2. After using the innovation, the anxiety scores of both the patients and caregivers significantly decreased at the .01 level (z=-3.42, p-value <.01) and (z=-1.79, p-value <.001)

3. Regarding the quality of the innovation, 66.67% of the patients rated its quality at a high level, while 62.50% of the caregivers rated it at a moderate level or higher.

4. Among the patients, 60.00% reported a high level of satisfaction, and 53.30% expressed a high level of willingness to use the innovation in real-life situations. Among the caregivers, 75.00% reported a moderate level of satisfaction, while 87.50% expressed a high level of willingness to use the innovation in real-life situations.

The Brush-and-Suction Innovation Version 2 can be applied to provide oral care for dependent patients, improve oral cleanliness, and reduce anxiety related to toothbrushing among both patients and caregivers.