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Efficacy of an U-shape Automatic Electric Toothbrush in Plaque Removal

Efficacy of an U-shape Automatic Electric Toothbrush in Plaque Removal: a Crossover Randomized Study

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04119583
Enrollment
22
Registered
2019-10-08
Start date
2020-01-20
Completion date
2020-02-14
Last updated
2020-03-24

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Dental Plaque, Toothbrushing

Brief summary

Over time, many different types of manual and electric toothbrushes have been produced. A systematic review has shown that some electric toothbrushes are more effective at removing bacterial plaque than manual toothbrushes. A new U-shaped electric toothbrush with silicone bristles has recently been produced that has a fully automatic and simultaneous action on both arches. However, its efficacy in removing bacterial plaque is not clear at the moment, as no randomized study has been published on this type of toothbrush. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy in terms of bacterial plaque removal in a single use of a new automatic U-shaped electric toothbrush, compared with the usual home toothbrushing procedure, a conventional electric toothbrush, and negative control (no toothbrushing) in a group of volunteer students of the School of Dentistry of the University of Florence, Italy. Primary endpoint will be the difference in full mouth plaque score between before and after brushing. Secondary endpoints will be feeling of clean mouth evaluated on a VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) scale from 0 to 10 where 0 indicates no feeling of clean mouth and 10 maximum feeling of clean mouth. This study will be a monocentric, randomized, controlled, superiority, cross-over study, with blind examiner and 4 therapies (U-shaped electric toothbrush, usual home toothbrushing procedure, conventional electric toothbrush, no toothbrushing), carried out in a single session with an interval of one week between the 4 therapies. Study population will be students of the School of Dentistry who are healthy volunteers. Number of patients to be enrolled: 22. Inclusion criteria: age between 18 and 30 years; no fixed orthodontic appliance; presence of at least 20 teeth; Full mouth plaque score (FMPS) above 40%. Exclusion criteria: subjects with manual disabilities to perform normal oral hygiene maneuvers; subjects allergic to silicone.

Interventions

DEVICEU-shape Automatic Electric Toothbrush

The U-shape Automatic Electric Toothbrush will be applied for 30-45 seconds on the teeth of both arches without the use of toothpaste.

OTHERUsual home toothbrushing procedure

Usual home toothbrushing procedure either with manual or electric toothbrush without the use of toothpaste.

OTHERConventional Electric Toothbrush

The Conventional Electric Toothbrush will be applied for 2 minutes on the teeth of both arches without the use of toothpaste.

Sponsors

University of Florence
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age between 18 and 30 years; * no fixed orthodontic equipment; * presence of at least 20 teeth; * Full mouth plaque score (FMPS) above 40%.

Exclusion criteria

* Subjects with manual disabilities to perform normal oral hygiene maneuvers; * Subjects allergic to silicone

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Full mouth plaque scoreDifference between pre- and post-brushing (time frame 10-15 minutes)Percentage of sites that presents with plaque on the total of the sites examined (6 sites per tooth).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Feeling of clean mouthPost-brushing (time frame 1-2 minutes)Visual analogue scale from 0 to 10 where 0 indicates no feeling of clean mouth and 10 maximum feeling of clean mouth

Countries

Italy

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026