Development of Automatic Toothbrush with Elastomer Material Alloy to Improve Brushing Skills in Children with Disabilities

Children with physical disabilities, particularly those with impaired fine motor skills, face significant challenges in performing independent toothbrushing. These limitations make them highly vulnerable to oral health problems such as dental caries and periodontal disease. Data indicate that only 3.3% of children with disabilities are able to brush their teeth properly, while the prevalence of dental caries reaches 84.6%. Therefore, this study aims to develop an automatic toothbrush with an ergonomic elastomer-based handle designed to improve toothbrushing skills in children with physical disabilities. The research employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach using a quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest one-group model. The development procedure included information gathering, model design, expert validation, and product trials. The study involved 13 children with physical disabilities who participated in the intervention for 10 days. The feasibility of the tool was assessed using Aiken’s V, while its reliability was tested through the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Changes in toothbrushing skills were measured through pre- and post- intervention observations. Validation results indicated that the automatic toothbrush with elastomer-based handle was considered feasible, with an Aiken’s V score of 0.843 and a p-value of 0.000. Effectiveness testing further showed a significant improvement in toothbrushing skills after the intervention, with a p-value of 0.001. These findings demonstrate that the developed device is effective in improving toothbrushing skills among children with physical disabilities, providing a practical and educational solution to support their independence in maintaining oral health.