Plaque removing effect of a convex-shaped brush compared with a conventional flat brush

The plaque-removing effect of a convex-shaped multitufted brush was compared with that of a conventional flat multitufted brush. Two group (five and seven dental students, respectively), well instructed in the modified Bass technique, participated in a blind, splitmouth, crossover study during two consecutive experimental periods of 96 hours of undisturbed plaque growth. After each of these periods, a supervised brushing session was performed, followed by toothpick utilization. Plaque removal was evaluated using the modified Navy Plaque Index (MNPI) and planimetry. A 4% erythrosin solution was used as a disclosing agent. Planimetrically, the flat Oral B brush appeared significantly more effective than the convex shaped Ph brush (P less than 0.001). This superiority was even enhanced after the use of toothpicks (P less than 0.0005). The differences between the brushes, however, were too small to be detected by the less discriminating MNPI. Although it has been claimed that the convex brush could assure approximal plaque control, the results indicate that for the convex-shaped, as well as for the flat brush, an approximal aid is essential for good plaque control. The hypothesis that the design of the convex-shaped brush could facilitate the modified Bass technique for the average patient could not be proven in this study.