CLINICAL AND LABORATORY EVALUATION OF POWERED ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSHES -IN-VIVO DETERMINATION OF AVERAGE FORCE FOR USE OF MANUAL AND POWERED TOOTHBRUSHES

Mechanical oral hygiene instruments are intended to aid in the removal of stain and dental plaque from tooth surfaces. Certain home hygiene procedures, however, can lead to soft and hard tissue trauma. Power as sisted brushing instruments are gaining in popularity, yet there is li mited information on the interaction of these home care instruments wi th commercial dentifrices, and the resultant impact on oral tissues. I n this study, the average forces applied during in vivo toothbrushing were determined for three powered brushing instruments (Rota-dent(R), Interplak(R) and Braun Oral-B(R) Plaque Remover) and a manual toothbru sh (Oral-B(R) P40). The Rota-dent instrument was found to be used with the lowest brushing pressure followed, in order, by the Braun Oral-B Plaque Remover, Interplak and the manual toothbrush. The average amoun t of dentifrice applied to the three powered brush heads was directly related to the size of the head, with Rota-dent typically receiving th e least and Interplak the most applied dentifrice.