210 Dentino (Jur. Ked. Gigi), Vol V. No 2. September 2020 : 210 - 216 DENTINO JURNAL KEDOKTERAN GIGI Vol V. No 2. September 2020 EFFECTIVENESS IN THE USE OF SOFT AND MEDIUM TOOTHBRUSH BRISTLES WITH FONE’S TECHNIQUE FOR PLAQUE REDUCTION Fennita Himawan 1) , Isnur Hatta 2) , Ika Kusuma Wardani 3) 1) Faculty of Dentistry, Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin 2) Department of Public Dental Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin 3) Department of Public Dental Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin ABSTRACT Background: Dental and oral hygiene of children in Indonesia is so alarming that serious awareness and attention are needed. Poor dental and oral hygiene is characterized by the presence of plaque deposits on tooth surface, forming an intercellular matrix that may instigate various dental and mouth problems. The prevalence of correct tooth brushing in Indonesia was very low at only 2.80%, in which South Kalimantan Province was 4.97% and Barito Kuala Regency was 3.55%. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of using soft and medium toothbrush bristles with fone’s technique to reduce plaque in students aged 10-11 years at SDN Berangas Timur 1, Barito Kuala Regency. Methods: The study used a true experimental method with a pretest-posttest with control group design consisting of pre-test and 8 post-test, and control group that was not given any treatment. Samples were randomly allocated by name sequence through simple random sampling technique of students aged 10-11 years at SDN Berangas Timur 1, Barito Kuala Regency. Inspection using PHPM plaque index was assessed on 6 index teeth. Research data were analysed using Mann Whitney's post hoc Friedman test. Results: The results for Friedman test in the treatment group showed p = 0.000. Mann Whitney test results in the treatment group with the control group showed p = 0.000 with a comparison of mean difference of 1.29 and 1.22 between the use of soft and medium toothbrush bristles with fone's technique. Conclusion: The use of soft toothbrush bristles with fone’s technique is the most effective in plaque reduction. Keywords : Effectiveness of brushing teeth, Fone’s technique, Plaque index, Soft and medium toothbrush dental Correspondence: Fennita Himawan, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Lambung Mangkurat, Veteran Street No. 128B Banjarmasin 70249, South Borneo, Indonesia. Email: ceciliafennita@gmail.com INTRODUCTION Dental and oral hygiene of children in Indonesia is so concerning that serious awareness and attention need to be instilled in children from the early age. 1 Poor oral and dental hygiene can cause various oral and dental health problems. The results of Basic Health Research (RISKESDAS) stated that the prevalence of dental and mouth problems in South Kalimantan Province had increased from 36.10% in 2013 to 59.60% in 2018. Children aged 10-14 years presented with a prevalence of 59.56%. 2 Dental and mouth problems are mostly suffered by children under the age of 12 years by 98%. 3 Dental and mount problem that often occur is caries.This is due to the Large numer of plaque deposits on the tooth surface. 4 Plaque is a colorless soft deposit containing microorganisms, such as S.mutans bacteria that attach to the surface of the tooth. 5 Plaque can be effectively removed by regular brushing. 6 It is usually found in groups of school-age children because of the behavior and habits that are less concerned with dental and oral hygiene. 7 In the age of 10-11 years old, children are still in the period of mix dentition with a habit of having snacks or drinks at school or whenever away from home. 8 At this age, children can betrained to develop skill gradually,