A randomized 12-week study to compare the gingivitis and plaque reduction benefits of a rotation-oscillation power toothbrush and a sonic power toothbrush.

OBJECTIVE: Sonic and rotation-oscillation power toothbrushes are popular and effective, but have been shown to differ in relative benefits. The objective of this 12-week investigation was to compare the efficacy of a rotation-oscillation powered toothbrush and a newly introduced sonic toothbrush in the reduction of gingivitis and dental plaque. METHODS: This was a randomized, controlled, examiner-blind, two-treatment, parallel-group study to assess gingivitis reduction and plaque reductions after twice-daily brushing with either the rotation-oscillation brush or the sonic toothbrush over 12 weeks. The Modified Gingival Index (MGI) and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI) were used to determine gingivitis benefits at Week 6 and Week 12, and plaque was scored at these visits before and after supervised brushing using the Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index (RMNPI). RESULTS: In 171 evaluable subjects, gingivitis reduction benefits were significantly greater for the rotation-oscillation brush group than for those using the sonic toothbrush, with relative mean benefits favoring the rotation-oscillation brush of 29.4% for GBI and 8.2% for MGI at 12 weeks (p < or = 0.01). The rotation-oscillation brush produced significantly lower RMNPI plaque by 33.3% compared to the sonic toothbrush (p < 0.001) at Week 12. CONCLUSION: The rotation-oscillation power toothbrush was significantly more efficacious than the sonic toothbrush in removing plaque, in reducing gingivitis, and lowering the number of bleeding sites after 12 weeks of twice-daily brushing.