title: Efficacy of a novel brush head in the comparison of two power toothbrushes on removal of plaque and naturally occurring extrinsic stain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the safety and efficacy of an oscillating/pulsating power toothbrush (Oral-B ProfessionalCareTM 7000; PC 7000) fitted with either the standard FlexiSoft (PC 7000/EB17) brush head or the novel Pro Polisher (PC 7000/ EB-Prophy) and a high-frequency toothbrush (Philips Sonicare Elite; SE), in their relative ability to remove plaque and naturally occurring extrinsic dental stain over a six-week period.
  
  
  METHODS
  This randomised, examiner-blind, parallel group study involved 90 healthy subjects from a general population. All subjects received a baseline plaque (Turesky et al. modified Quigley-Hein Plaque Index), stain (Lobene Stain Index) and tooth shade (VITAPAN Shade Guide) [Vita] assessment and an oral tissue examination. After training in the use of their randomly assigned device, subjects were instructed to brush twice daily for 2 min and returned after 3, 4 and 6 weeks of product use for a repeat of each clinical assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reductions from baseline in mean plaque and extrinsic dental stain scores were significant at Weeks 3, 4 and 6 in all three treatment groups. By Week 6, mean reductions from baseline in whole mouth plaque scores were 32%, 27% and 14% in the PC 7000/EB-Prophy, PC 7000/EB17 and SE groups, respectivety. For the body of the tooth, mean reductions from baseline at Week 6 in total stain were 89%, 89% and 80%, respectively. Between treatment group comparisons consistently revealed that the PC 7000 toothbrush plus the EB-Prophy or EB17 brush head removed significantly more plaque and extrinsic stain (total stain, stain area and stain intensity) than the SE toothbrush at 3, 4 and 6 weeks. The EB-Prophy group had a greater proportion of subjects showing a 2-3+ change in Vita shade scores at each time point compared to the other two brushes; at Week 6 the proportions were 67% in the PC 7000/EB-Prophy group, 30% in the PC 7000/EB17 group, and 7% in the SE group. The PC 7000/EB17, PC 7000/EB-Prophy and the SE were found to be safe as used in the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The oscillating/rotating/pulsating PC 7000 (fitted with either the standard EB17 or novel EB-Prophy brush head) is more effective at removal of plaque and naturally occurring extrinsic tooth stain, and the PC 7000 plus EB-Prophy in the improvement of tooth shade, than the high-frequency SE toothbrush.
authors.affiliation: BioSci Research Canada Ltd., 6245 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5N 1A4, Canada.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Goyal
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Qaqish
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cugini
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Warren
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000628:therapy*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D004560:Electricity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014075:Tooth Discoloration / Q000628:therapy*; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation*