Subgingival access and artificial plaque removal by a sonic cleaning device

A sonic subgingival cleaning device (soniPick Sonic Interdental Plaque Remover) has recently been marketed with three bristle tips varying in size lengths and bundle diameters. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of these bristle tips to remove subgingival artificial plaque deposits in a laboratory method used for toothbrushes. The laboratory method has been modified for testing the sonic device, to simulate the directions for using the product at home. The dimensions (length x bundle width) of three tips tested were: 0.007" x 0.040"; 0.007" x 0.062"; and 0.009" x 0.062". The tips used with the sonic device were placed on the tooth surface at a 20 degrees angle according to directions, and inserted 3 mm under simulated gingivae. The device was turned on and the tip was moved in a maximum 10 mm stroke for 15 seconds with the brushing machine. For control purposes, a flat, multi-tufted, ADA-accepted manual toothbrush (Oral-B P35) was also tested. The manual toothbrush was tested using the standard methods for evaluating toothbrushes, i.e., with the bristle tips placed at the gingival margin, then brushed at a 45 degrees angle at 250 g weight, using 15 mm strokes for 60 seconds. The depth of subgingival deposit removal was recorded as the maximum depth of the artificial plaque deposit removed from the pressure-sensitive paper under the simulated gingivae over anterior- or posterior-shaped teeth. In the assays conducted, the three bristle tips on the sonic device removed artificial plaque deposits under the simulated gingival at depths of 1.9-2.7 mm. The manual toothbrush had a mean subgingival cleaning depth of 0.6 mm. Differences between the three bristle tips used with the sonic device and the manual toothbrush were significant (p < 0.001 ANOVA). In this laboratory assay, all 3 bristle tips provided with the sonic cleaning device maintained access into and subsequent removal of artificial plaque from the subgingival space.