ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF AN OSCILLATING ROTATING ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH ON ORAL HEALTH - A 12-MONTH LONGITUDINAL-STUDY/

The aim of this 12-month parallel design controlled clinical trial was to assess the effect of the Braun Oral-B Plak Control electric toothb rush on supragingival plaque and gingival health, and to compare it wi th a conventional soft manual toothbrush (Jordan). A total of 111 pati ents aged between 20 and 63 years, from a general population, with ble eding on probing at 30% or more of all sites examined were entered int o the study. At baseline, immediately after periodontal examination, a ll volunteers received a thorough scaling of their teeth. Volunteers i n both groups were told to brush their teeth for 2 min 2x a day. Oral hygiene instruction was given at the start of the study and was not re peated. At 3, 6 and 12 months, assessments were carried out by a singl e clinician who was not aware which group the volunteers belonged to. Analysis of results demonstrated that over the 12 months of the study, the Braun Oral-B Plak Control was significantly more effective in imp roving gingival health than the manual toothbrush. There was, however, no difference between the 2 groups in terms of plaque removal, with t he number of sites with visible plaque decreasing by a similar amount in both groups. In conclusion, results indicate that the Braun Oral-B Plak Control toothbrush is safe and more effective than a manual tooth brush in improving gingival health.