The impact of bristle profile on plaque removal efficacy of a battery-powered toothbrush.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the plaque removal efficacy of a control powered toothbrush (original Crest SpinBrush, flat bristle profile) to a prototype powered toothbrush (new Crest SpinBrush, rippled bristle pattern).


METHODS
This study was a randomized, controlled, examiner-blind, 4-period crossover design, which examined plaque removal following a single use. The 20 subjects repeated the single use in each of four periods, twice with each toothbrush. Plaque was scored before and after brushing using the Turesky Modification of the Quigley-Hein Index.


RESULTS
Baseline plaque scores were 1.59 and 1.65 for the prototype powered toothbrush and control toothbrush treatment groups, respectively. With respect to all surfaces examined, the prototype powered toothbrush delivered an adjusted (via analysis of covariance) mean difference between baseline and post-brushing plaque scores of 0.54 while the control toothbrush delivered an adjusted mean difference of 0.48. The experimental toothbrush group, on average, had a 13.1% larger plaque removal score than the control toothbrush. These results were statistically significant (P= 0.031). Similar results were observed on buccal and lingual surfaces.
Biesbrock
Aaron R
AR
The Procter & Gamble Company, 8700 Mason-Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45040-9462, USA. biesbrock.ar@pg.com
Bartizek
Robert D
RD
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004396:Coloring Agents; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000145:classification / Q000628:therapy*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013499:Surface Properties; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation*
D004396:Coloring Agents