Reduction in caries rate among patients with xerostomia using a power toothbrush.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the use of a Sonicare toothbrush could be beneficial in reducing coronal and/or root caries among patients with medication-induced xerostomia. Eighty subjects with drug-induced xerostomia using either a Sonicare toothbrush (SC) or a manual toothbrush (MTB) were included in the study. Control subjects using a MTB were frequency-matched to 40 subjects using a SC, based on age, gender, number of teeth at baseline, and salivary flow rates. Subjects were individually matched according to the type of xerostomic medication they were taking. Caries were assessed at baseline, and subjects were instructed to have carious teeth restored. Summary statistics were assessed and computed by treatment group for incipient and frank coronal and root caries after one year. Statistical comparisons of the number of frank and incipient coronal and root caries between treatment groups were conducted using paired t-tests. After one year of use, the numbers of incipient and frank root caries were significantly lower among subjects using SC compared to subjects using MTB. Subjects using SC also exhibited somewhat lower incipient and frank coronal caries than subjects using MTB, although their differences were not statistically significant. The authors concluded that the Sonicare toothbrush may be beneficial in reducing root caries among older adults with medication-induced xerostomia.

Stimulation of salivary flow with a powered toothbrush in a xerostomic population.

The purpose of this study was to determine if using a Sonicare toothbrush was a beneficial treatment of xerostomia. Sixty-one subjects with medication-induced xerostomia were randomly assigned a Sonicare (SC) or manual toothbrush (MTB). Subjects were followed for four visits (one month apart); after two months, the MTB group crossed over to using a SC. At each visit, saliva flow was measured by subjects expectorating for five minutes at four collection periods. For the first sample subjects were asked to spit while brushing for three minutes and for two minutes after brushing. Five-minute saliva collections were taken at 15-, 30- and 45-minute intervals. Questionnaires were administered at the end of the study period and three years later. Paired analysis on the MTB group that crossed over to SC showed significant increase in salivary flow at all post-brushing collections (p < 0.01). The end-of-study questionnaire showed that 96.4% of subjects found the SC comfortable to use, 98.2% had enhanced salivary flow, and 92.7% would use it to increase salivary flow. After three years, subjects rated the cleaning effect of the SC more than 4.5 (where 5 = excellent). The Sonicare toothbrush may help in the treatment of xerostomia. The use of a Sonicare resulted in a statistically significant increase in post-brushing salivary flow rates in persons with medcation-induced xerostomia.

Plaque reduction over time of an integrated oral hygiene system.

This article compares the efficacy of a prototype integrated system (the IntelliClean System from Sonicare and Crest) in the reduction of supragingival plaque to that of a manual toothbrush and conventional toothpaste. The integrated system was compared to a manual toothbrush with conventional toothpaste in a randomized, single-blinded, parallel, 4-week, controlled clinical trial with 100 subjects randomized to each treatment group. There was a low dropout rate, with 89 subjects in the manual toothbrush group (11% loss to follow-up) and 93 subjects in the integrated system group (7% loss to follow-up) completing the study. The Turesky modification of the Quigley and Hein Plaque Index was used to assess full-mouth plaque scores for each subject. Prebrushing plaque scores were obtained at baseline and at 4 weeks after 14 to 20 hours of plaque accumulation. A survey also was conducted at the conclusion of the study to determine the attitude toward the two oral hygiene systems. The integrated system was found to significantly reduce overall and interproximal prebrushing plaque scores over 4 weeks, both by 8.6%, demonstrating statistically significant superiority in overall plaque reduction (P = .002) and interproximal plaque reduction (P < .001) compared to the manual toothbrush with conventional toothpaste, which showed no significant reduction in either overall plaque or interproximal plaque. This study demonstrates that the IntelliClean System from Sonicare and Crest is superior to a manual toothbrush with conventional toothpaste in reducing overall plaque and interproximal plaque over time.

Stain reduction of an integrated oral hygiene system.

This article discusses research to determine the efficacy of a prototype integrated power toothbrush and toothpaste dispensing system, the IntelliClean System from Sonicare and Crest, in the removal of extrinsic stain. The prototype integrated system and a positive control, the Sonicare Elite with conventional toothpaste, were evaluated in 2 randomized, single-blinded, parallel 4-week controlled clinical trials. There was a low dropout rate, with 28 subjects of the 31 randomized in study 1 completing the study (10% loss to follow-up) and 26 subjects of the 28 randomized in study 2 completing the study (7% loss to follow-up). Lobene stain scores were used to assess the extent and intensity of stain for all teeth meeting the criteria for inclusion in the studies. Lobene stain scores were assessed at baseline and after 4 weeks in both studies. A survey also was conducted at the conclusion of each study to determine user attitude toward the integrated system. The prototype integrated system was found to significantly reduce overall extrinsic stain over time, performing not significantly differently from the positive control. Overall, the prototype integrated system reduced the composite measure of stain that encompasses both the extent and intensity of stain by 60%. This research demonstrates that the IntelliClean System from Sonicare and Crest is highly effective in reducing extrinsic stain.