Objectives: The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Ultra Sonex Ultima(R) in comparison with a conventional manual toothbrush.
Material and methods: In all, 64 healthy volunteers (32 females, 32 males) took part in the parallel-design treatment-blind study. After a screening examination and stratification by age, sex and papillary bleeding index (PBI), the participants were randomly assigned to two groups with 32 subjects each. Four weeks later, the Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein plaque index (PI), the approximal plaque index (API), and the PBI were recorded at baseline. Four and 8 weeks after baseline, the indices were recorded again.
Results: During the study period of 8 weeks, the API showed no difference between the manual and the electric toothbrush. For the median PI, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) was found after 4 (manual: 2.16 vs. electric: 1.34) and 8 weeks (1.96 vs. 0.92). After 4 weeks, the median PBI was 0.75 for the manual and 0.43 for the electric brush (p < 0.01). The values after 8 weeks were 0.63 (manual) and 0.29 (electric, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The Ultra Sonex Ultima may be more efficacious than manual toothbrushes in removing plaque and preventing gingivitis in patients without severe periodontal disease.