BioSci Research Canada (Canada)

This clinical study compared the effect of Colgate Actibrush, a battery-powered toothbrush, and Colgate Plus Diamond Head, a full-head, soft-bristled manual toothbrush, on established supragingival plaque and gingivitis over a 30-day period. Sixty-two healthy adult men and women were entered in the study. The subjects were stratified into two balanced groups according to their mean baseline plaque and gingivitis scores. Each group was randomly assigned to the use of one of the two toothbrushes. Subjects were instructed to brush their teeth at home twice daily (morning and evening) for 1 minute with their assigned toothbrush and a commercially available tooth-paste for the 30-day duration of the study. Gingivitis and plaque examinations, as well as a soft-tissue evaluation, were conducted by the same dental examiner at baseline and after 15 and 30 days of toothbrush use. Plaque and gingivitis scores were reduced significantly from baseline after the use of both toothbrushes for 30 days. However, improvement in both supragingival plaque and gingivitis scores was significantly greater in the group using Colgate Actibrush. In conclusion, although both toothbrushes provided a significant plaque and gingivitis benefit when used as part of a normal oral hygiene regimen, the efficacy of the Colgate Actibrush was demonstrated to be superior to that of the Colgate Plus Toothbrush after 30 days of use.