A comparison of electric toothbrushes in their potential to cause gingival abrasion of oral soft tissues
Danser, M.M.; Timmerman, M.F.; IJzerman, Y.; van der Velden, U.; Warren, P.R.; van der Weijden, F.A.
American Journal of Dentistry 11(Special Issue): S35-S39
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0894-8275 PMID: 10530098 Document Number: 485564
It has previously been established that gingival abrasion associated with the Braun Oral-B Ultra Plaque Remover (D9) is minimal and comparable to that observed with a manual toothbrush. The purpose of this single-use study was to compare gingival abrasion with the D9 and a novel electric toothbrush, the Braun Oral-B 3D Plaque Remover (3D). 49 subjects (non-dental students) with at least 24 natural teeth and an absence of periodontal probing depths of 5 mm or greater were included in this study. Following a familiarization phase, all subjects received a single prophylaxis and were asked not to brush their teeth for 24 hours prior to their appointment. At this visit, the gums were disclosed by Mira-2-Tone solution and all gingival abrasion on the soft tissues was assessed and recorded. Subjects then brushed their teeth in a random split-mouth order with the two electric toothbrushes, using brush heads of the same design (EB9). The gums were then re-disclosed and gingival abrasions were recorded. They were recorded as either small sites of abrasion (< or = 5 mm) or large sites of abrasion (> 5 mm). The mean number of small traumas increased from 2.57 at baseline to 4.04 after brushing with the D9 and from 1.98 to 4.14 after brushing with the 3D. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. For both toothbrushes, more small traumas were found in the upper jaw compared with the lower jaw. No increase in number of large traumas was observed.