Table 3.
Differences in toothbrushing effectiveness between the groups with mild and moderate severity autism spectrum disorder
| Mild severity group (N = 21) | Moderate severity group (N = 9) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toothbrushing ability (mean ± SD) | |||
| • Baseline | 0.7 ± 0.5 | 0.3 ± 0.2 | .032* |
| • F/U 2 weeks | 2.1 ± 1.0 | 1.4 ± 0.9 | .094 |
| • F/U 4 weeks | 2.4 ± 0.8 | 1.6 ± 0.6 | .036* |
| • F/U 3 months | 2.5 ± 0.7 | 2.1 ± 0.7 | .077 |
| • F/U 6 months | 2.6 ± 0.6 | 1.9 ± 0.8 | .045* |
| Toothbrushing cooperation (mean ± SD) | |||
| • Baseline | 2.5 ± 0.9 | 2.1 ± 0.6 | .349 |
| • F/U 2 weeks | 3.0 ± 0.9 | 2.3 ± 0.7 | .045* |
| • F/U 4 weeks | 3.2 ± 1.0 | 2.6 ± 0.5 | .032* |
| • F/U 3 months | 3.6 ± 0.7 | 2.8 ± 0.7 | .005* |
| • F/U 6 months | 3.6 ± 0.5 | 3.1 ± 1.1 | .326 |
| Plaque index (mean ± SD) | |||
| • Baseline | 1.6 ± 0.6 | 2.1 ± 0.7 | .086 |
| • F/U 2 weeks | 1.4 ± 0.8 | 1.6 ± 0.8 | .397 |
| • F/U 4 weeks | 1.1 ± 0.7 | 1.3 ± 0.7 | .349 |
| • F/U 3 months | 1.1 ± 0.7 | 1.0 ± 0.4 | .859 |
| • F/U 6 months | 0.7 ± 0.3 | 0.6 ± 0.4 | .476 |
SD = standard deviation
*Significant differences between groups as found by the Mann‒Whitney U test at P < .05