A clinical trial on the effectiveness of professional toothbrushing using dentifrice and water.

The purpose of this trial was to compare the plaque removal effectiveness of professional toothbrushing with dentifrice and with only water. Fifty three subjects were divided into a dentifrice and a water group. Both groups had their teeth professionally brushed for one minute using either dentifrice or water. Plaque scores were recorded before and immediately after brushing. The results of this trial show that toothbrushing with dentifrice was more effective in removing plaque compared to brushing with water alone. The amount of plaque reduction was low, and varied with tooth surfaces. The mid buccal surface had the greatest reduction of plaque. No significant differences were observed on the distobuccal and distolingual surfaces when the dentifrice group was compared with the water group.