A clinical study to compare the efficacy of 2 electric toothbrushes in plaque removal.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the cleaning efficacy of a powered toothbrush with 3-dimensional brush head action (Braun Oral-B 3D Plaque Remover D15) and a high-speed "microtation" brush with an additional "microbrush-clip" (Rowenta Dentasonic MH921S).


METHODS
82 healthy subjects took part in the study. After a familiarization period of 8 days, the subjects abstained from all oral hygiene procedures for 48 h. After plaque was scored, the subjects brushed their teeth under supervision with the two brushes according to a split-mouth design. Immediately after brushing, subjects completed a questionnaire and plaque was scored again.


RESULTS
The overall plaque scores were found to be significantly reduced from 3.05+/-0.60 to 1.96+/-0.63 by the D15 and from 3.02+/-0.58 to 2.24+/-0.64 by the Dentasonic (p<0.05). The proximal surface plaque scores were reduced from 3.20+/-0.63 to 2.17+/-0.69 by the D15 and from 3.17+/-0.60 to 2.44+/-0.69 by the Dentasonic. The relative plaque reduction was overall 36.6+/-12.2% for the D15 compared to 26.1+/-13.5% for the Dentasonic and at proximal surfaces, 33.1+/-12.3% and 23.2+/-13.0%, respectively. 75% of the subjects stated that they would prefer to keep the D15.


CONCLUSIONS
Both brushes were able to remove a significant amount of plaque, but the D15 was significantly more effective compared to the Dentasonic. The additional "microbrush-clip" for the proximal embrasures failed to improve plaque removal from these tooth surfaces, compared to the D15 alone.
Dörfer
C E
CE
Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, School of Dental Medicine, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany. christof_doerfer@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Berbig
B
B
von Bethlenfalvy
E R
ER
Staehle
H J
HJ
Pioch
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000628:therapy*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D004560:Electricity; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000145:classification; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000145:classification; D012399:Rotation; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013499:Surface Properties; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014732:Vibration