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Efficacy of various side-to-side toothbrushes for noncontact biofilm removal

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Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of four different powered toothbrushes with side-to-side action for noncontact biofilm removal in vitro.

Materials and methods

A three-species biofilm was formed in vitro on protein-coated titanium disks using a flow chamber combined with a static biofilm growth model. Subsequently, the biofilm-coated substrates were exposed to four different side-to-side toothbrushes (A, B, C, and D) with various brushing times (2, 4, and 6 s) and brushing (bristle-to-disk) distances (0, 2, and 4 mm). The biofilm volumes were measured using volumetric analyses with confocal laser scanning microscope images and Imaris version 7.5.2 software.

Results

The median percentages of biofilm reduction by the analyzed toothbrushes ranged from 9 % to 80 %. The abilities of the tested toothbrushes to remove the in vitro biofilm differed significantly (p < 0.05). Two of the tested toothbrushes (C and D) were capable of significant biofilm reduction by noncontact brushing.

Conclusions

It was possible to reduce a three-species in vitro biofilm by noncontact brushing with two out of four side-to-side toothbrushes.

Clinical relevance

Toothbrushes C and D show in vitro a high efficacy in biofilm removal without bristle contact.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Elisabeth Filipuzzi-Jenny (Clinic of Preventive Dentistry and Oral Microbiology, University of Basel) for laboratory assistance; Dr. Oliver Biehlmaier and Dr. Alexa Ferrand (Image Core Facility, Biozentrum, University of Basel) for assistance with microscopic analyses; and Ing. EurEta Sascha Martin (Department of Physics, University of Basel) for the construction of the toothbrush apparatus.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. This project was supported in part by an unrestricted grant by the Swiss Society of Dentistry (SSO), project number 264-12. The titanium disks were provided by Straumann AG (Basel, Switzerland).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Periodontology, Cariology and Endodontology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Basel, Hebelstrasse 3, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Julia C. Schmidt, Roland Weiger & Clemens Walter

  2. Clinic of Preventive Dentistry and Oral Microbiology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Monika Astasov-Frauenhoffer, Irmgard Hauser-Gerspach & Tuomas Waltimo

  3. Institute of Insurance Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Economics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany

    Jan-Philipp Schmidt

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  1. Julia C. Schmidt
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Correspondence to Clemens Walter.

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Schmidt, J.C., Astasov-Frauenhoffer, M., Hauser-Gerspach, I. et al. Efficacy of various side-to-side toothbrushes for noncontact biofilm removal. Clin Oral Invest 18, 793–800 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-013-1047-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-013-1047-7

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