06 April 2023

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Comparing electric toothbrushes: sonic power versus oscillating-rotating

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The regular and complete removal of dental plaque is mainly thanks to the toothbrush. Toothbrushes come in many different designs, varying in the shape of the handle, brush head, bristle arrangement and filament shapes. 

Electric or powered toothbrushes (PTB) have been in use since the 1940s and are still widely used today. They demonstrate benefits in the reduction of dental plaque and gingivitis compared to manual toothbrushes (MTB) both in the short and long term. And, thanks to their performance and ease of use, are becoming increasingly popular.

Different types of PTBs with different head configurations and with different modes of action are available on the market.

The high frequency sonic electric toothbrush (HFS-PTB), with side-to-side bristle movement, and the oscillating-rotating electric toothbrush (OR-PTB) are the best-selling and most sought-after modes of action worldwide.

Materials and methods

In a recent systematic review, first published in May 2022 in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene, authors established the efficacy of the oscillating rotation electric toothbrush (OR-PTB) compared to the high frequency sonic electric toothbrush (HFS-PTB) in regarding the parameters of plaque and gingival inflammation. 

The literature search was conducted through the Medline-PubMed and Cochrane-Central databases up to April 2021.

Controlled or randomized clinical trials were selected that evaluated the efficacy of brushing with an oscillating rotation electric toothbrush (OR-PTB) in comparison with a high frequency sonic electric toothbrush (HFS-PTB).

The following parameters were evaluated for a minimum of 4 weeks:

• plaque index (PI),
• bleeding index (BS),
• number of bleeding sites (NoB), and
• gingival index (GI).

Results

Researchers included 32 publications with 38 comparisons in the final review. Descriptive analysis showed that in 54% of the comparisons, a significant difference in favor of the OR-PTB was found for the PI, BS and GI scores. The Quigley and Hein index showed a significant difference in means (DiffM) between final scores, as did the Navy index modified from Rustogi.

These data are in line with the meta-analysis for BS, for which the results came out in favor of the OR-PTB and considered potentially clinically relevant. A significant difference in favor of OR-PTB was found for NoB. Some 78% of the participants preferred the OR-PTB.

Conclusions

From the data of this study, researchers concluded that to maintain good plaque control and improve gingival health, the oscillating rotation electric toothbrush offers clinically relevant advantages compared to the sonic toothbrush, albeit with a small but significant difference.

Acknowledgements

This study was sponsored in part by an unrestricted educational grant by Procter and Gamble Company Worldwide Clinical Investigations—Oral Care. The company had no say in the design of this review, nor did they influence the reporting and publishing of the findings.

For more information: "The efficacy of an oscillating-rotating power toothbrush compared to a high-frequency sonic power toothbrush on parameters of dental plaque and gingival inflammation: A systematic review and meta-analysis."