Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Mimicking and Measuring Occlusal Erosive Tooth Wear with the "Rub&Roll" and Non-contact Profilometry
Published on: February 2, 2018
The role of the toothbrush in the abrasion process
G Tellefsen1, A Liljeborg, A Johannsen
1Department of Dental Medicine, Division of Periodontology, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden. georg.tellefsen@ki.se
Aim:
To evaluate the relative abrasivity of different toothbrushes both qualitatively and quantitatively.
Materials And Methods:
Acrylic plates were exposed to brushing in a brushing machine with ten different toothbrushes with water alone and with a toothpaste. The results were evaluated using a profilometer after one and 6 h of brushing (corresponding to 2000 and 12,000 double strokes, respectively). A surface roughness value (Ra-value) and also a volume loss value were calculated from the profilometer measurements. These values were then compared to each other.
Results:
The results showed that brushing with water alone caused less abrasion than when a toothpaste was added. Six-hour brushing with water caused less abrasion than 1 h with a toothpaste. The number of filaments or filament diameter influenced the results in various ways. When brushing with water, the harder toothbrush (Jordan Medium) caused more abrasion (higher Ra-value), but when adding the toothpaste, the softer toothbrush (Jordan soft) caused more abrasion after 12,000 double strokes.
Conclusion:
Besides supporting the fact that a toothpaste is needed to create a significant abrasion, this study also showed that a softer toothbrush can cause as much and in some cases more abrasion than harder ones. When conducting abrasivity studies, it is important to look at both the quantitative and qualitative aspect of abrasivity.
Related Concept Videos
Abrasion Resistance of Concrete
One such test is the revolving disc test, where three plates...
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.
The Oral Microbiota
Handwashing III: During the Procedure and Post-Procedure Steps
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...
Oral Cavity
Teeth: The teeth are the hardest structures in our bodies. Humans have two sets of teeth throughout their lifetime: deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth. Each tooth consists of several parts: the crown (visible part), the root (embedded in the jaw), enamel (hard outer...
