Six-month comparison of powered versus manual toothbrushing for safety and efficacy in the absence of professional instruction in mechanical plaque control.

Background: Reports suggest powered toothbrushing may provide some clinical benefit over manual tooth-brushing, but most studies have been of short duration with subjects trained in toothbrush use. The aim was to determine if the oscillating-rotating powered brush (PB) could safely provide clinical benefits over and above a manual brush (M) in subjects with no formal instruction or experience in powered brush use.

Methods: This 6-month, single-masked, parallel design, randomized clinical trial compared the PB with an American Dental Association (ADA)-accepted soft-bristle manual brush in a non-flossing gingivitis population (n = 157).

Clinical evaluation of an ionic toothbrush in the removal of established plaque and reduction of gingivitis.

The clinical effectiveness of a manual ionic toothbrush in the removal of dental plaque and the reduction of gingivitis was evaluated. A double-blind study evaluated the effect of a small, imperceptible electric current on established dental plaque and gingivitis during toothbrushing. Sixty-four adults completed the study.

Clinical evaluation of a new flossing device.

The clinical effectiveness of a new flossing device, the Floss Plus easy flosser, in reducing interproximal plaque and interproximal gingival inflammation was compared to the effectiveness of hand-held floss. The first phase studied 36 dental students, while the second studied 26 adult patients undergoing supportive periodontal treatment. In both phases, the subjects were divided into two groups.

Collagen membrane barrier therapy to guide regeneration in Class II furcations in humans.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of resorbable collagen membranes in guided tissue regeneration. The study participants were 38 adults with moderate to advanced periodontitis. Each patient had at least one Class II furcation defect which could serve as either a test or control tooth.

Biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic combined with fibrillar collagen with and without citric acid conditioning in the treatment of periodontal osseous defects.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the combination of biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic (BCP) and collagen and citric acid root conditioning would promote accelerated new attachment of periodontal tissue to the root surface in dogs. Intrabony defects were surgically produced for each animal and were made chronic for 16 weeks. These defects were assigned to two study treatment and one control group: ceramic-collagen without citric acid (CO-CE); ceramic-collagen with citric acid (CO-CE-CA); and control (surgical debridement and root planing only).