Ultrasound compared to manual toothbrushing
in orthodontic patients with
manifest gum inflammation (gingivitis) -
A randomized, clinically controlled trial.
Executive Summary
Witten 2018
ORMED Institute for Oral Medicine at the University of Witten/Herdecke
Study director: Prof. Dr. Dr. hc P. Gängler
Dr. Tomas Lang, S. Saket, KW Weich
On behalf of: EMAG AG, 64546 Mörfelden-Walldorf
Objective:
Dental plaque deposits around orthodontic brackets increase the short-term risk of
Gingivitis and the long-term risk of dental caries around the bands in susceptible patients. The aim of a randomized clinical controlled study was therefore to compare the improvement in 1. plaque control and 2. gingivitis control with ultrasonic toothbrushes compared to manual toothbrushes.
Methods:
80 adolescents with fixed orthodontic appliances and manifest gingivitis on 4 or more teeth were randomly divided into 2 groups 6 months before the end of orthodontic treatment. The ultrasound test group (n=42) used the Emmi-dental ultrasonic toothbrush (EMAG, Mörfelden-Waldorf). The control group (n=38) used the Denttabs manual toothbrush with toothpaste tablets (Denttabs, Berlin). The gingivitis index to measure the degree of inflammation was determined at 6 points per tooth.
Baseline, after 3 days of plaque accumulation at the start of the study, after 2 and after 12 weeks. The modified Navy Plaque Index according to Lang et al. (2011) was used on index teeth. Intraoral photography documented all teeth at baseline, at the start of the study and at the end of the study with a blinded assessment of plaque deposits before brushing and after brushing on 6 planimetry fields buccally (towards the cheek) around the brackets and also on 6 planimetry fields lingually (towards the tongue) and palatally (towards the palate).
Results:
A highly significant reduction in gingivitis was documented for both groups. The number of gingivitis teeth decreased from 13 to 4 teeth in the ultrasound group and from 12 to 3 teeth in the control group. A highly significant reduction in plaque levels was also achieved. The plaque index decreased in the ultrasound group from 9.59 (baseline) to 0.45 (end of study) around the brackets and in the control group from 9.64 (baseline) to 0.64 (end of study) also around the brackets. No injuries to dental hard or soft tissue were observed.
Conclusions:
The study confirms early results of plaque reduction and contribution to gum health (Denda, 2011 and May, 2013). The use of the Emmi-dental Professional ultrasonic toothbrush in a high-risk group of patients during orthodontic treatment with severe chronic gingivitis is clinically effective through significant plaque reduction and highly significant
Reduction in the number of diseased teeth. This improvement in oral hygiene is comparable to that in the control group. The advantage of ultrasonic toothbrushing is
the abrasion-free effect.
The original PDF can be found here The scientific study can be found here
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