Efficacy of a sonic toothbrush on inflammation and probing depth in adult periodontitis

• Published in: Journal of periodontology (1970) Vol. 67; no. 9; p. 900
• Main Authors: O'Beirne, G, Johnson, R H, Persson, G R, Spektor, M D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.1996
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Analysis of Variance; Chi-Square Distribution; Female; Gingival Crevicular Fluid - immunology; Humans; Interleukins - analysis; Male; Middle Aged; Periodontal Attachment Loss - therapy; Periodontal Index; Periodontitis - therapy; Single-Blind Method; Sonication; Statistics, Nonparametric; Toothbrushing - instrumentation
• ISSN: 0022-3492
• DOI: 10.1902/jop.1996.67.9.900

This single-blind, 8-week study compared the efficacy of a sonic toothbrush and a manual brush in 40 patients with adult periodontitis. Qualitative clinical indices and quantitative laboratory methods were used to monitor the periodontal status of 3 pockets 5 to 7 mm deep in each subject. Patients were randomly assigned either a sonic or manual toothbrush. The two groups were comparable with respect to age, gender, and anatomical location of the test sites. Data were collected from all sites at baseline and at 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Over the 8-week period, both groups showed significant improvements in the clinical indices used. Descriptive statistics indicated the sonic brush group had greater improvement than the manual group in the clinical parameters (gingival index, bleeding index, probing depth, and clinical attachment level). Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) flow was significantly lower in the sonic brush group (P = 0.018). Considerable variation was present in the levels detected for both inflammatory cytokines tested, however, concentration of interleukin-1 beta was significantly lower in the GCF of sonic group patients (P = 0.05), while concentration of interleukin-6 was significantly reduced in both groups (P < or = 0.05) (t tests). Under these conditions, there is some evidence to suggest that the sonic toothbrush is more beneficial in resolving inflammation in patients with moderate periodontal disease.