Dental plaque removal effectiveness of two powered toothbrushes

To compare the plaque removal efficacy of an experimental powered toothbrush (Crest SpinBrush Pro with redesigned bristle head) versus a control powered toothbrush (Crest SpinBrush Pro) following a single use.

This study was a randomized, controlled, examiner-blind, 4-period crossover design that examined plaque removal with the two toothbrushes following a single use. Plaque was scored before and after brushing using the Turesky Modification of the Quigley-Hein Index.

A total of 44 subjects provided data that were used in the statistical analysis. Baseline whole-mouth plaque scores averaged 2.177 prior to using the experimental powered toothbrush with redesigned bristles and 2.220 prior to using the control powered toothbrush. The experimental power toothbrush delivered an adjusted (via ANCOVA) mean difference between baseline and post-brushing plaque scores of 0.662 while the control toothbrush delivered an adjusted mean difference of 0.669. The experimental powered toothbrush had, on average, 1.1% lower plaque removal scores than the control toothbrush. The difference between toothbrushes was not statistically significantly different from zero (P = 0.667). A 95% confidence interval on the mean difference in whole-mouth plaque removal scores was calculated and was within plus or minus 6.3% of the control power toothbrush adjusted mean.