G. Obeirne et al., EFFICACY OF A SONIC TOOTHBRUSH ON INFLAMMATION AND PROBING DEPTH IN ADULT PERIODONTITIS, Journal of periodontology, 67(9), 1996, pp. 900-908
THIS SINGLE-BLIND, 8-WEEK STUDY compared the efficacy of a sonic tooth
brush and a manual brush in 40 patients with adult periodontitis. Qual
itative clinical indices and quantitative laboratory methods were used
to monitor the periodontal status of 3 pockets 5 to 7 mm deep in each
subject. Patients were randomly assigned either a sonic or manual too
thbrush. The two groups were comparable with respect to age, gender, a
nd anatomical location of the test sites. Data were collected from all
sites at baseline and at 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Over the 8-week period, b
oth groups showed significant improvements in the clinical indices use
d. Descriptive statistics indicated the sonic brush group had greater
improvement than the manual group in the clinical parameters (gingival
index, bleeding index, probing depth, and clinical attachment level).
Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) flow was significantly lower in the s
onic brush group (P = 0.018). Considerable variation was present in th
e levels detected for both inflammatory cytokines tested, however, con
centration of interleukin-l beta was significantly lower in the GCF of
sonic group patients (P = 0.05), while concentration of interleukin-6
was significantly reduced in both groups (P less than or equal to 0.0
5) (t tests). Under these conditions, there is some evidence to sugges
t that the sonic toothbrush is more beneficial in resolving inflammati
on in patients with moderate periodontal disease.