Plaque reduction efficacy of an oscillating-rotating power brush with a novel brush head utilizing angled bristle tufts.

PURPOSE To evaluate an oscillating-rotating power brush with a novel brush head utilizing angled bristle tufts versus a manual brush for plaque removal. METHODS This was a single-center, randomized, open-label, examiner-blind, two-treatment, parallel-group study. Subjects brushed with their assigned toothbrush and a marketed dentifrice twice daily at home for 6 weeks. Plaque measurements were evaluated at baseline and week 6 using the Turesky Modified Quigley-Hein Plaque Index (TQHPI). Data was analyzed using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with baseline as the covariate. RESULTS Ninety-four subjects completed the study, with 46 in the manual group and 48 in the power group. The oscillating-rotating brush with the novel brush head demonstrated statistically significantly greater reductions in whole mouth and interproximal plaque measures compared to the manual toothbrush. The benefit for the oscillating-rotating brush over the manual control brush was 164.5% for whole mouth plaque and 167.4% for interproximal plaque (P < 0.001) measured 12 hours after brushing. Both brushes produced statistically significant reductions in plaque measures relative to baseline (P < 0.001 for both measures). There were no adverse events reported or observed for either brush. CONCLUSIONS The oscillating-rotating brush with the novel brush head produced reductions in whole mouth and interproximal plaque more than twice that of the manual toothbrush.