Plaque Control Record
Plaque Control Record (O'Leary 1972): percent of tooth surfaces with plaque at the gingival margin = (plaque-positive surfaces / total surfaces) x 100, where total = 4 surfaces x teeth present.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Number of teeth present
- 28
- Plaque-positive surfaces
- 20
Result: Plaque Control Record 17.9% — above the 10% goal; improve oral hygiene.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What the result means
- Goal
- <= 10% good plaque control; higher indicates a need to improve oral hygiene (some references use 20%).
What you enter
- Number of teeth present (1-32)
- Plaque-positive surfaces (4 checked per tooth)
How this is calculated
- Formula
- (plaque-positive surfaces / total surfaces) x 100; total = 4 surfaces (mesial, distal, buccal, lingual) x teeth present.
O'Leary TJ, Drake RB, Naylor JE. The plaque control record. J Periodontol. 1972;43(1):38. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.