Assessment of the effect of an oscillating/rotating electric toothbrush on oral health - A 12-month longitudinal study

The aim of this 12-month parallel design controlled clinical trial was to assess the effect of the Braun Oral-B Plak Control electric toothbrush on supragingival plaque and gingival health, and to compare it with a conventional soft manual toothbrush (Jordan). A total of 111 patients aged between 20 and 63 years, from a general population, with bleeding on probing at 30% or more of all sites examined were entered into the study. At baseline, immediately after periodontal examination, all volunteers received a thorough scaling of their teeth. Volunteers in both groups were told to brush their teeth for 2 min 2x a day. Oral hygiene instruction was given at the start of the study and was not repeated. At 3, 6 and 12 months, assessments were carried out by a single clinician who was not aware which group the volunteers belonged to. Analysis of results demonstrated that over the 12 months of the study, the Braun Oral-B Plak Control was significantly more effective in improving gingival health than the manual toothbrush. There was, however, no difference between the 2 groups in terms of plaque removal, with the number of sites with visible plaque decreasing by a similar amount in both groups. In conclusion, results indicate that the Braun Oral-B Plak Control toothbrush is safe and more effective than a manual toothbrush in improving gingival health.