Efficacy of an Automatic Toothbrush

Efficacy of an Automatic Toothbrush With Nylon Bristles in Removing Dental Plaque: a Randomized Cross-over Study

The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy in terms of bacterial plaque removal, in a single use, of a new Y-shaped automatic electric toothbrush with nylon bristles, compared with the electric toothbrush of similar shape but with silicone bristles, with the manual toothbrush, and with a negative control (no brushing) in a group of volunteer students.

Primary endpoint: difference in "full mouth plaque score" between before and after brushing.

Secondary endpoint: sensation of "clean mouth" assessed on VAS scale from 0 to 10 where 0 indicates no sensation of clean mouth and 10 maximum sensation of clean mouth.

Single-center, randomized, controlled, superiority, cross-over, examiner-blinded study with 5 treatments (Y-shaped electric toothbrush with nylon bristles, similarly shaped electric toothbrush with silicone bristles, manual brushing for 45 seconds, manual brushing for 2 minutes, no brushing), carried out in a single session and spaced one week apart.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Absence of fixed orthodontic appliances
• Presence of at least 20 teeth
• Full mouth plaque score greater than 40%
• Having provided signed and dated informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subjects with manual inability to perform normal oral hygiene maneuvers
• Subjects allergic to silicone or nylon.