Plaque removal efficacy of a novel tooth wipe.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to evaluate the safety and plaque removal efficacy of a tooth wipe (Oral-B Brush-Ups) using a manual toothbrush as a control.


METHODS
Twenty-five healthy subjects from a general population were enrolled in this randomized, single-use, crossover study. After 23-25 hours of no oral hygiene, oral hard and soft tissues were examined, and disclosed plaque was scored using the Turesky, et al. modification of the Quigley Hein Plaque Index. Subjects used their randomly assigned product for a timed period of one minute without instruction, after which hard and soft tissues and plaque scores were reassessed. Subjects returned to the clinic after a one-week washout period, and the clinical procedures were repeated before and after use of the alternate product. All clinical measurements were made by one examiner who was masked to treatment sequence.


RESULTS
Both the tooth wipe and toothbrush were found to be safe, and significantly reduced plaque levels from whole mouth, facial, and lingual surfaces (p < 0.0001). The toothbrush removed significantly greater plaque than the tooth wipe (p < 0.0001) on whole mouth surfaces (49% vs. 29%), facial surfaces (71% vs. 44%), and lingual surfaces (25% vs. 13%).


CONCLUSIONS
The tooth wipe provides an effective method of plaque removal when tooth brushing is not practical.
Goyal
C Ram
CR
BioSci Research Canada Ltd., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Qaqish
Jimmy G
JG
Sharma
Naresh C
NC
Warren
Paul R
PR
Cugini
MaryAnn
M
Thompson
Maureen C
MC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004396:Coloring Agents; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000628:therapy*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012449:Safety; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation; D014100:Toothpastes / Q000627:therapeutic use
D004396:Coloring Agents; D014100:Toothpastes