Abstract
Purpose: Effective mechanical plaque removal is the most important measure for preventing dental caries and maintaining periodontal health. More recently, toothbrush heads with various bristle designs have been developed in an attempt to better reach the interproximal and gingival margin areas. The Bass technique is effective for removing plaque adjacent to and directly beneath the gingival margins with the combined use of a soft toothbrush. The present study evaluated the artificial plaque removal efficacy of a new manual toothbrush with large bristles with highly tapered filaments as compared to small bristles with highly tapered filaments by using a brushing machine.
Methods: Three different toothbrushes (DENTALPRO black super compact, DENTALPRO black diamond compact, and DENTALPRO black diamond wide) were used in this study. Supra and subgingival access was determined by measuring when brushing using the Bass technique (the toothbrush is positioned in the gingival sulcus at a 45°-angle to the tooth apex and brushed with a force of 200 g at a rate of 190 strokes per 60 s for one minute) on the artificial plaque of a jaw model. The resulting data were analyzed by ANOVA and the Scheffè test (α=0.05).
Results: No statistically significant differences were founded among the three toothbrushes in terms of artificial plaque removal efficacy in the subgingival facial and subgingival interproximal areas, however, the large brush head bristles provided significantly greater artificial plaque removal efficacy in the supragingival facial and supragingival interproximal areas when compared to the small bristles.
Conclusions: It is suggested that the highly tapered filaments accessed the subgingival pockets and that the large bristles were more efficient at accessing the supragingival and interproximal regions.
