title: Comparison of gingivitis and plaque efficacy of a battery-powered toothbrush and an ADA-provided manual toothbrush.
abstract: This examiner-blind clinical study evaluated the efficacy of a new battery-powered toothbrush with oscillating head (Colgate Actibrush) on established gingivitis and plaque at 15 days and again at 30 days, as compared to a control manual toothbrush (American Dental Association [ADA]-provided toothbrush, full head, soft bristles). A total of 63 participants completed the study. They were stratified into two balanced groups according to their mean baseline prebrushing plaque scores and were randomly assigned to use the battery-powered test toothbrush or the manual control toothbrush. Participants were instructed to brush their teeth twice daily (mornings and evenings) for 1 minute with their assigned toothbrush for the 30-day duration of the study. Gingivitis and plaque (pre- and postbrushing) examinations were conducted by the same dental examiner at baseline, after 15 days, and again after 30 days. The Colgate Actibrush demonstrated a significantly greater reduction of plaque (46.53%) and gingivitis (18.57%) when compared to the ADA-provided toothbrush after 30 days of use. Additionally, a comparison of the plaque scores for the battery-powered toothbrush at 15 and 30 days shows a continued reduction in plaque of more than 25% for a cumulative difference from baseline of 73%. These results support the conclusion that the new battery-powered toothbrush is clinically superior in plaque removal efficacy and gingivitis efficacy to the manual toothbrush, and continues to significantly improve plaque scores even up to 30 days of use.
authors.affiliation: Forsyth Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Soparkar
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Rustogi
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Petrone
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Volpe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D004560:Electricity; D005260:Female; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010512:Periodontal Index; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013997:Time Factors; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome