title: Bristle end-rounding in children's toothbrushes: a comparative study.
abstract: Animal and clinical studies have shown that sharp, unpolished toothbrush bristles can injure gingival tissues and that substantial variation exists in the degree of end-roundness of commercially available toothbrushes. In this study, eight brands of children's toothbrushes were assessed for their relative potential to cause oral tissue injury based upon the degree of end-roundness of their bristles. The brands studied were: Blend-a-dent Jr., Butler GUM Jr., Colgate Plus Jr., Johnson & Johnson Prevent Jr., Johnson & Johnson Reach Child, Lever Bros. Disney, Oral-B P20, and Sensodyne Jr. Brushes were ranked on the basis of three criteria: the percentage of bristles with sharp ends (89% roundness or less), the percentage of bristles with smooth edges (96% roundness or greater), and the average roundness of bristle ends. The Oral-B P20 brush had significantly more (p < 0.05) bristles with a roundness of 96% or greater; it also was in the group having the lowest number of bristles with sharp edges and had the highest average roundness. Based on these criteria, the Oral-B P20 showed the least potential for oral tissue damage, whereas the Johnson & Johnson Reach Child and Butler GUM Jr. showed the most potential for tissue injury. The other brands investigated were intermediate in end-rounding values and damage potential.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Rawls
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Gelder
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeppesen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004867:Equipment Design; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005881:Gingiva / Q000293:injuries; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*