A comparative clinical study of the safety and efficacy of three toothbrushes.

This single (examiner) blind, randomized, 4-week study compared the safety and efficacy of a new electric toothbrush (experimental) regarding plaque removal and reducing gingivitis with two other brushes, an electric brush (control electric) and a manual toothbrush (control hand). Ninety-six subjects with 1) a minimum of 15 suitable teeth in acceptable occlusion; 2) a minimum gingivitis score of 0.9; and 3) a minimum plaque score of 1.8 were entered into the study. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: a control hand group (31 subjects), an experimental group (32 subjects), and a control electric group (33 subjects). Device use instructions were given according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Two examiners separately determined either gingival scores or plaque scores at baseline and 4 weeks. In regard to gingivitis, use of all 3 brushes for the study period showed statistically significant improvements in gingivitis scores (P values less than 0.01) within each of the 3 groups. Between group analyses of covariance showed that of the 3 groups, the control hand group improvement was better than both the experimental and the control electric groups (P less than 0.05). When interproximal gingivitis scores were analyzed separately, similar improvements were noted. Regarding effectiveness of plaque removal during a single brushing event at the initial and final visits, each of the 3 brushes was effective in reducing plaque for every tooth surface scored (P values less than 0.01). However, between group analyses of covariances showed that the experimental group was better than the other two (P less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)