Evaluation of a new multi-directional power toothbrush versus a marketed sonic toothbrush on plaque and gingivitis efficacy.

PURPOSE To evaluate the plaque- and gingivitis-reducing efficacy of a newly developed multi-directional power toothbrush in comparison to a commercially-available sonic power toothbrush. METHODS Adult subjects with mild-to-moderate gingivitis were eligible for this 4-week, randomized and controlled, single-center, examiner-blinded, parallel group study. At baseline, plaque and gingivitis status was assessed with the Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index (RMNPI), Lobene Modified Gingival Index (MGI), and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI). Subjects meeting all eligibility criteria were randomly assigned to one of two power toothbrushes: a novel multi-directional power toothbrush (Oral-B Professional Deep Sweep TRICLEAN 1000 also marketed as Oral-B TriZone) or the marketed sonic control toothbrush (Philips Sonicare Essence 5500). A single supervised brushing occurred onsite at baseline; thereafter toothbrushing was conducted twice daily at home in accordance with manufacturer instructions using the assigned power brush. At 4 weeks post-baseline, subjects returned for MGI, GBI, and RMNPI evaluations to determine the plaque and gingivitis efficacy of the respective brushes. RESULTS All 130 subjects completing the trial were evaluable. Both the novel multi-directional power and sonic control brushes produced significant mean reductions in gingivitis, gingival bleeding and plaque (whole mouth and region-specific) at Week 4 in comparison to baseline (P < 0.001). The new multi-directional power brush performed statistically significantly better (P < or = 0.001) in all efficacy measures after 4 weeks ofbrushing, providing superior adjusted mean relative reduction benefits versus the sonic control brush of 48% for MGI, 52% for GBI, 26% for whole mouth RMNPI, 58% for gingival margin RMNPI plaque, and 33% for interproximal (approximal) RMNPI plaque. Both toothbrushes were well-tolerated.