A new approach to the evaluation of Plaque Index scores

Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare methods of expressing the plaque situation recorded by the Plaque Index System (Silness and Löe 1964). Basic information based on 48 plaque recordings in each of 154 children indicated 16 ± 13% score 0, 63± 13% score 1, and 19± 14% score 2. The criteria of the Plaque Index System are at the ordinal or ranking level of measurement, whereas means and standard deviation should be performed at the interval and ratio scales of measurements, i.e. on the frequencies of the scores. Re‐examinations of the children as well as a toothbrushing experiment indicated that the frequency of score 2 adequately expressed the plaque situation. The conventional toothbrushing seemed to have no effect on the total number of score 1.

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