Barbara Carter

DHY 258
Community Health Concepts
August 6, 2019

Public Health Research Abstract Paper

A lot of people ask the same question when they are at their dental visits, “why is an

electric toothbrush better than a manual toothbrush?” I will be discussing in my abstract paper

the findings I have read in a Cochran review about the effectiveness between the two.

Do you ever wonder how many strokes a powered toothbrush completes in a minute

compared to a manual toothbrush? Well, according to WebMD.com, a rotary toothbrush head

moves in a circular motion at 3,000 to 7,500 strokes per minute. A toothbrush where the head

alternates directions is called rotation oscillation. A sonic brush uses a side-to-side motion at a

speed at about 10 times that of a rotary brush (about 31,000 brush strokes per minute).

The Cochrane review article on “Powered/electric toothbrushes compared to manual

toothbrushes for maintaining oral health,” that was published June 17, 2014, states that electric

toothbrushes in fact proved to be more effective then manual toothbrushes.

A study was conducted that included 56 studies published from 1964 to 2011 in which

5068 participants were randomized to receive either a powered toothbrush or a manual

toothbrush. Majority of the studies included adults, and over 50% of the studies used a type of

powered toothbrush that had a rotation oscillation mode of action (where the brush head rotates

in one direction and then the other). There is moderate quality evidence that powered

toothbrushes provide a statistically significant benefit compared with manual toothbrushes with

regard to the reduction of plaque in both the short term (standardized mean difference (SMD) -

0.50 (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.70 to -0.31); 40 trials, n = 2871) and long term (SMD -

0.47 (95% CI -0.82 to -0.11; 14 trials, n = 978). These results correspond to an 11% reduction in
plaque for the Quigley Hein index (Turetsky) in the short term and 21% reduction long term.

Both meta-analyses showed high levels of heterogeneity (I2 = 83% and 86% respectively) that

was not explained by the different powered toothbrush type subgroups.

In conclusion, power toothbrushes are more efficient than manual toothbrushes because

they complete more strokes in a minute than a manual toothbrush which in return provides a

more thorough cleaning. With an electric toothbrush completing multiple strokes per minutes,

allows for the head of the toothbrush to effectively reduce the plaque on the tooth surface. When

the plaque is effectively removed from the tooth surface, it leaves less bacteria to colonize and

create an infection. Keep in mind to always spend at least two minutes brushing your teeth, floss

at least once a day and use mouth rinse two times a day, as it will improve or maintain your

current oral health status.

 References

Powered/electric toothbrushes compared to manual toothbrushes for maintaining oral health:

https://www.cochrane.org/CD002281/ORAL_poweredelectric-toothbrushes-compared-to-
manual-toothbrushes-for-maintaining-oral-health

WebMD

https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/electric-toothbrushes#2