Clinical Research on Plaque Removal Efficacy of “new child's Toothbrush” Mainly Composed of Soft Materials

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to use clinical testing for verification of the plaque removal efficacy of a new child's toothbrush (NT), which is mainly composed of soft materials, and a conventional toothbrush (CT), composed of only hard materials. The following results were obtained.

1.Plaque removal efficacy for all teeth for the NT was 27.7±12.8% and for the CT was 28.7± 13.5%, which was not a significant difference (variance analysis, t­test, Mann­Whitney's U test).

2.A bending test was also conducted. The amount of deflection in both vertical and lateral directions was significantly greater for the NT as compared to the CT. Furthermore, deflection in lateral di­ rections for the NT was significantly greater than in vertical directions. In addition, as the loading weight increased, the deflection amount increased.

These results suggest that the NT, mainly composed of soft materials, is useful for reducing oral trauma and improving plaque removal efficacy when used with young children.