Comparison of the sonic and a manual toothbrush for efficacy in supragingival plaque removal and reduction of gingivitis
The purpose of this 12-week, single-blind clinical trial study was to compare the ability of the sonicare toothbrush and a manual toothbrush to remove supragingival plaque and reduce gingival inflammation. Sixty patients were divided randomly into two groups and instructed to use either manual or sonic toothbrushes. Patients were examined at baseline and at 1, 2, 4, and 12 weeks thereafter. Gingival invlammation was clinically assessed by using gingival index, bleeding tendency scores, bleeding on probing gingival cervical fluid, and measurement of the enzyme aspartate aminotransferase in GCF. In both toothbrush groups, compared with baseline values, there were sustained significant reductions in mean pre-brushing Quigley- Hein plaque index. However, in this short-term study, no device-specific statistical differences were noted between the two types of brushes in their ability to reduce gingival inflammation. Although both devices were effective, the sonic toothbrush was statistically superior, on a percentage reduction basis, in removing supragingival plaque from the dentition, especially in hard-to-reach areas like interproximals or posterior teeth. [E.M.]
Tritten, C.B., and G.C. Armitage, J Clin Periodont, 23:641, 1996