Laboratory evaluations of elmex inter X toothbrushes for interproximal access efficacy and posterior tooth surface cleaning.

Laboratory methods have been developed to evaluate the ability of toothbrush bristles to remove artificial plaque deposits at interproximal sites (Interproximal Access Efficacy; IAE) and on distal tooth surfaces (Posterior Tooth Surface Cleaning; PTSC). In the testing performed for this study, six toothbrushes were evaluated. These were: elmex inter X Sensitive; elmex inter X Sensitive Short Head; elmex inter X medium; elmex inter X Medium Short Head; Oral-B Cross Action 40 medium; and the ADA reference standard toothbrush. Six toothbrushes of each design were tested four times under wet brushing conditions in all assays. In the IAE studies, toothbrushing was conducted using a vertical or horizontal brushing motion, simulated anterior or posterior teeth, and a brushing weight of 250 g. The bristles were placed at a 90 degree angle to the tooth surface, and brushing was performed for 15 seconds at two strokes per second with 50 mm strokes. IAE was recorded as the maximum width of simulated plaque deposit removed. For the PTSC evaluations, a horizontal brushing motion was used on posterior tooth shapes, with a 250 g brushing pressure for ten seconds. PTSC was determined as the maximum measurement of artificial plaque deposit removed from the mid-facial area to the maximum post-distal area of the most posterior simulated tooth shape. All data were assessed with ANOVA and the post hoc Tukey test. In the individual IAE tests, with vertical or horizontal brushing on anterior and posterior simulated teeth, and on overall IAE mean values, the four elmex inter X toothbrushes were significantly higher (p < 0.01-0.001) than the ADA reference standard and the Oral-B Cross Action 40 toothbrushes. The mean PTSC values for all toothbrushes were significantly higher (p < 0.01-0.001) compared to the ADA Reference Standard toothbrush mean PTSC. All elmex inter X brushes were statistically significantly higher (p < 0.01-0.001) compared to the Oral-B Cross Action 40 product. The elmex inter X Medium had a significantly higher (p < 0.05-0.001) PTSC compared to the PTSC mean values of the other elmex inter X products tested.