Aim: To compare the efficacy of manual and oscillating-rotating electric toothbrushes in removing plaque and reducing gingivitis in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances.
Study design: Randomised clinical trial.
Materials and methods: 20 subjects aged 10 to 14 years (8 males; 12 females) scheduled for fixed orthodontic treatment were enrolled, randomly divided into two groups, A and B, and later assigned electric or manual toothbrushes, respectively. Three months after orthodontic appliance bonding (T1), and again after a further 4 (T2) and 8 (T3) weeks, plaque levels (PI), gingival bleeding (GBI) and hypertrophy were assessed.
Results: Between the two toothbrush types, statistically significant differences in PI were detected from T2 to T3 (P value 0.010), but not from T1 to T2. In contrast, the GBI was significantly different from T1 to T2 (P value 0.025), but not from T2 to T3.
Conclusion: With respect to the manual orthodontic toothbrush, the electric oscillating-rotating toothbrush was found to better improve both PI and GBI.