A randomized, parallel study to evaluate the effect of three different bristle design of manual toothbrushes on plaque removal

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of three different bristle designs (Zig-zag, Wavy, Flat-trim) of manual toothbrushes on plaque removal. Materials and Methods: The study was an investigator-blind, randomized three-visit parallel design study for 12 weeks. Three different types of commercially available manual toothbrushes with different pattern of bristle arrangement (Flat-Trim, Wavy pattern and Zig-Zag) were selected. 30 subjects were allotted in each group. The plaque was examined using Turesky-Gilmore-Glickman modification of the Quigley Hein plaque index. Plaque score were recorded at baseline and follow-up was done at 6 weeks and 12 weeks. The Mean Plaque Score (MPI) was determined for each subject. p Results: The baseline mean plaque scores were balanced between all the three groups with the mean score slightly higher in Group B (2.32 ΁ 0.32). Compared to the baseline scores, at the end of 6 weeks and 12 weeks, a significant reduction in the mean plaque scores was observed for all the three groups (p = 0.000). However, though there was a reduction in the mean plaque scores from 6 to 12 weeks, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that all the three different bristle design of manual toothbrushes significantly reduced the plaque scores from baseline scores yet no significant differences were observed between the three groups