Table 2.
Longitudinal Patterns of Toothbrushing Frequency from the 5th to the 8th Grade,(excluding those with only one observation).
| Always brushed ≥2/day. | 341 | 42% |
| Occasionally dipped to 1/day, averaged 2/day | 305 | 39% |
| Averaged between 1/day and 1.5/day* | 80 | 8% |
| Decline over time † | 38 | 5% |
| Averaged less than 1/day | 8 | 1% |
| Improvement over time ‡ | 24 | 3% |
| Not classifiable | 19 | 2% |
| Total | 815 | 100% |
*
Seven subjects in this group fell to less than 1/day once during the study, but fit this category best.
†
Initially brushed ≥2/day, and brushed <2/day the last 2 measurements (included only those with at least 3 measurements).
‡
Initially brushed <2/day, and brushed ≥2/day the last 2 measurements (included only those with at least 3 measurements).