Laboratory Interproximal Access Efficacy of a New Toothbrush

Objective: The laboratory Interproximal Access Efficacy (IAE) procedure has been shown to be predictive of clinical plaque removal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new prototype (NP) toothbrush (GlaxoSmithKline, UK) and a commercially available (CA) toothbrush, Oral-B 40 Indicator (Oral-B Labs, USA) in the IAE assay. Both toothbrushes had a medium bristle texture. Methods: Toothbrush products were submitted by GlaxoSmithKline. Six toothbrushes of each product were tested four times, for a total of twenty-four tests on each toothbrush design in a vertical or horizontal brushing motion, tooth shapes simulating anterior and posterior teeth and a brushing weight of 250g for 15 seconds at two strokes per second with a 50-mm stroke. The maximum width (IAE) of the brushing stroke was recorded in cm. Data was analyzed using ANOVA and the post hoc Tukey test. Results: Overall mean IAE results in cm (SD) on the toothbrushes tested, combining brushing motions and tooth shapes, were NP=1.02 (0.23), CA=0.75 (0.19). Conclusions: Overall IAE mean value for the NP product was significantly higher (p<0.001) than the CA toothbrush. Grant from GlaxoSmithKline, UK.