Prevention of gingival trauma: Oral hygiene devices and oral piercings

Maintaining healthy teeth and soft oral tissues for life is important. Oral hygiene devices and oral piercings can damage the soft oral tissues. This thesis investigates the safety of manual toothbrushes, interdental brushes and rubber bristles interdental cleaners by analysing the gingival abrasion score. The efficacy of the various oral hygiene devices is measured by the use of dental plaque scores and gingivitis scores. In addition, the prevalence, the short- and long-term effects and the incidence of complications associated with oral and peri-oral piercings on hard and soft tissues are investigated in the literature.