Efficacy and Questionnaire Comparisons of two Sonic Toothbrushes

Objectives: Evaluate the Philips Sonicare Elite 5000 (PSE5) and Oral-B Sonic Complete (OSC) toothbrushes in a short-term clinical efficacy study and using a questionnaire. Methods: A randomized crossover, examiner-blinded study was conducted in 68 adults (51 females, 17 males; Turesky modified Quigley-Hein plaque index (TPI) ≥1.8 at screening). All subjects signed the MEC approved consent form. At Visit 1, subjects received their assigned brush and Prodent Soft Mint fluoride toothpaste. They were instructed to brush twice daily for 2 minutes during the 1-week familiarization period. Subjects abstained from oral hygiene for 24 hours before Visit 2. At Visit 2, TPI was scored before and after a 2-minute supervised brushing exercise. Subjects completed a 16-item product-use questionnaire, were scheduled for Visit 3, and given the other toothbrush. Familiarization and no oral hygiene periods, examinations, and the questionnaire at Visit 3 were as at Visit 2. ANOVA was used to determine whether there were differences between treatments. Results: Significantly higher percent reductions from pre-brushing scores were observed for PSE5 than OSC overall, on posterior teeth, and in interproximal areas. Respective percentages (mean ± s.e.) were 54.3±1.01 and 45.2±1.01 (p<0.001), 47.2±1.06 and 37.6±1.06 (p<0.001), 55.3±1.02 and 46.0±1.02 (p<0.001). Superiority was further corroborated by information gathered from questionnaires. PSE5 significantly (p<0.05) outperformed OSC in 6 of 16 aspects, including "overall rating" and "overall cleaning performance." OSC outscored PSE5 in 2 of 16 aspects. Conclusions: PSE5 removed significantly more plaque than OSC, especially in hard to reach areas. A questionnaire confirmed the favorable conclusion.