Mechanical Plaque control-A key to healthy mouth

The primary goal of periodontal treatment is to achieve the healthy status of periodontium. Dental plaque and oral biofilms are the main causative factors for maximum periodontal diseases. Dental plaque plays a dominant role in the causation of both dental caries and periodontal disease. Supragingival plaque is exposed to saliva and to the natural self-cleansing mechanism existing in the oral cavity. However, although such mechanism may eliminate food debris, they do not adequately remove dental plaque. Therefore, the regular oral hygiene practices is a requisite for proper plaque elimination.The term plaque control, on the other hand, refers to the preventive measures aimed at removing dental plaque and preventing it from recurrence. It can be achieved either mechanically or chemically as well as by the combination of two procedures.Mechanical Plaque Control has been proved to be the most commonly used method for plaque control, in which using toothbrushes has the main share .I hope this book will be helpful to both undergraduates and postgraduates dental students.