A 12-Week Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing a Novel Electric Toothbrush With an Extra Gentle Brush Head to a Manual Toothbrush for Plaque and Gingivitis Reduction.

Objective: This study compared the gingivitis and plaque reduction efficacy of a novel smart-connected oscillating-rotating (O-R) electric toothbrush with micro-vibrations, used in Sensitive mode with an extra gentle ("sensitive") brush head, to the efficacy of a soft manual toothbrush.

Methods: This was a 12-week, examiner-blind, two-treatment, parallel-group clinical trial with 100 adult subjects (N = 100) having evidence of gingivitis and plaque at baseline. Subjects were randomly assigned to use either the O-R electric rechargeable toothbrush (Oral-B iO with Oral-B Gentle Care brush head) or the soft manual toothbrush (Oral-B Indicator). Gingivitis was assessed with the modified gingival index (MGI) and the gingival bleeding index (GBI). Plaque was assessed with the Rustogi modification of the navy plaque index (RMNPI). Patients were classified as having a "healthy" or "not healthy" gingival case status according to the criteria of the American Academy of Periodontology and the European Federation of Periodontology. Efficacy assessments and oral soft-tissue examinations were conducted before brushing at baseline, week 1, and week 12. The baseline assessment included both pre- and post-brushing plaque evaluations to evaluate single-use plaque removal efficacy.

Results: All 100 subjects completed the trial. Subjects had a mean age of 49.1 years; 72% were females. The O-R brush group had a significantly higher percentage of subjects who transitioned from "not healthy" to "healthy" gingival case status than did the manual brush group. Plaque reduction for the O-R brush group was also significantly greater (P ≤ .009) than for the manual brush group for whole mouth, gingival margin, and interproximal region, from day 1 (single use) through 12 weeks. Both brushes were well tolerated.

Conclusion: The novel O-R toothbrush with micro-vibrations used in Sensitive mode with an extra gentle brush head provided significantly greater gingivitis and plaque reduction than did a manual toothbrush over 12 weeks.