Cleaning efficacy of a new electric toothbrush.

PURPOSE To evaluate the cleaning efficacy of a new electric toothbrush and new brush head design, using a robot system to simulate normal clinical toothbrush use. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study compared the new oscillating/rotating/pulsating electric toothbrush (Braun Oral-B 3D Plaque Remover) comprised of the D15 handle and new EB15 brush head, with the clinically established oscillating/rotating electric toothbrush (Braun Oral-B Ultra Plaque Remover-D9) and brush head (EB9). Plaque substitute was applied to the artificial teeth of typodonts, which were cleaned by the robot system for 2 minutes. The remaining plaque substitute was measured for buccal + lingual/palatal and occlusal surfaces, as well as gumline and interproximal sites using a computerized vision system. RESULTS The new D15/EB15 combination was found to be significantly more effective than the D9/EB9 combination in removing plaque substitute at all surfaces combined and all specific sites (P < 0.001). These results show that the new toothbrush which features an additional pulsating motion (D15), combined with the new brush head design (EB15), offer improved efficacy in comparison with the established oscillating/rotating combination (D9/EB9).