Efficacy and safety of BrushPicks, a new cleaning aid, compared to the use of Glide floss.

The objective of this double-blind, four-week clinical study was to evaluate the efficacy of BrushPicks, a new cleaning aid, and Glide floss on the reduction of plaque area, gingivitis and bleeding on probing, and to monitor safety when these products were used in addition to toothbrushing with an ADA-Accepted toothbrush (Oral-B P35) and an ADA-Accepted fluoride-containing dentifrice (Crest Regular). No special instructions on or supervision of product use was conducted, other than requesting twice-a-day (morning and evening) use of the assigned products. Following a baseline examination, 63 qualifying adult male and female subjects from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area were randomized into two groups. Subjects were also told to use their assigned dental aid after each toothbrushing. Examinations for efficacy and safety were repeated after two and four weeks' use of the products. Sixty-two subjects completed all aspects of the study. There were no untoward side effects attributed to product use, reported or observed, at the two- or four-week examination times. At baseline, there were no significant differences in plaque, gingivitis or bleeding on probing mean scores between the BrushPicks and Glide floss groups. At the two- and four-week evaluation times, both the BrushPicks and Glide floss had numerically lower plaque scores compared to baseline levels. The only statistically significant reduction (p < 0.01) was in the BrushPicks group, comparing the week two mean with the baseline value. Gingivitis (GI) at four weeks was statistically (p < 0.05) lower in the BrushPicks group as compared to the Glide floss mean value. When the changes in scores from baseline to two weeks and to four weeks were assessed, the mean GI score for the Glide floss group was significantly lower at two weeks (p < 0.01) compared to baseline, and also from two weeks to four weeks (p < 0.001). The change in mean GI score for the Glide floss group from baseline to four weeks was also significant statistically (p < 0.001). When the changes in mean GI scores for the BrushPicks group were assessed, there was a significant decrease from baseline to two weeks (p < 0.001), from two weeks to four weeks (p < 0.001), and from baseline to four weeks (p < 0.001). For bleeding on probing, when the baseline to two- and four-week mean values were compared, only the BrushPicks produced significant (p < 0.001) decreases. At two and four weeks, the BrushPicks group mean bleeding on probing scores were significantly (p < 0.05-0.01) lower than the Glide floss group scores. At the end of this four-week study, the BrushPicks product was significantly more effective than Glide floss in the reduction of gingivitis and bleeding on probing, important attributes of soft-tissue health.