Investigation of Effective Toothbrush Head Speed and Brushing Width in Artificial Plaque Removal with Wide-flocked Toothbrush

<p> Purpose: Thorough supragingival and subgingival plaque control is essential for the successful treatment of periodontitis. Recently, wide-flocked toothbrushes have become popular for effective plaque control. However, the appropriate method of using wide-flocked toothbrushes has not yet been determined. Therefore, in this study, the optimal method of effective scrubbing with wide-flocked toothbrushes was examined using artificial plaque on a tooth model.</p><p> Materials and methods: For the experiment, a wide-flocked toothbrush with tapered bristles and a wide-flocked toothbrush with flat bristles were used. The removal of supragingival and subgingival plaque was evaluated by measuring the area of artificial plaque remaining on the tooth models after scrubbing. The brushing conditions, which included a load of 200 gf and stroke frequency of 30 times, were kept constant, and all experiments were conducted using a brushing machine (brushing stroke width: 5 mm and 15 mm, head speed: 180 and 300 strokes/min). The resulting data were statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Steel-Dwass test to compare the removal rate of artificial plaque.</p><p> Results: The findings showed that the plaque removal with wide-flocked toothbrushes was associated with the brushing stroke width and head speed. The supragingival artificial plaque removal rate was significantly higher with a 15-mm stroke width and 180 strokes/min compared with other conditions (removal rate: 18.6% with 5-mm stroke width and 180 strokes/min, 33.5% with 15-mm stroke width and 180 strokes/min). Moreover, the subgingival plaque removal rate was significantly higher using tapered-bristle wide-flocked toothbrushes compared with flat-bristle wide-flocked toothbrushes.</p><p> Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that optimal brushing can be achieved using wide-flocked toothbrushes with a stroke width of 15 mm and stroke rate of 180 strokes/min (i.e., a speed of -30 reciprocations/10 s).</p>