Comparative study of plaque removal efficacy of twin-motor sonic toothbrush with floating bristles and conventional powered toothbrushes in posterior teeth

Abstract

Purpose: To compare twin-motor sonic toothbrushes (TST) with conventional sonic (CST) and electric (CET) toothbrushes in terms of plaque removal efficacy. Methods: A single-blind, triple-treatment cross-over study was conducted involving 36 participants. Each subject refrained from brushing for 24 hours; subsequently, subjects were screened for dental plaque in premolars and molars with the Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index. Plaque removal efficacy was determined according to percentage of plaque score reduction in a single toothbrushing under supervision for 2 minutes at the base of whole tooth surfaces and approximal areas. Results: 35 subjects completed this study. No meaningful difference in pre-brushing plaque score was observed among the three toothbrushes. In molars, TST (48.3± 3.3%) was higher in plaque removal efficacy relative to CST (40.4±2.4%, P= 0.0064) and CET (36.7±2.8%, P= 0.0001). This trend was obvious in approximal areas of the lingual aspect of the mandible; 24.8% for TST versus 13.4% for CST (P= 0.0048) and 15.0% for CET (P= 0.0168). In premolars, TST displayed the greatest plaque removal efficacy, although the difference was significant exclusively for comparison with CET. These findings indicate that TST is more efficacious than CST and CET in terms of removal of plaque from molars, in particular, at approximal areas in the lingual aspect of the mandible, possibly due to new functions such as floating bristles and twin magnetic motors, which produce sonic vibration.