Practice Implications

Clearly, a general opinion can be formed that in most cases, automatic toothbrushes are better at plaque removal than a manual brush.3-6,8-16 The ability of automatic brushes to supersede a manual brush in reducing bleeding and inflammation is less clear. While automatic brushes do reduce gingivitis equivalent to manual brushing, several automated brushes have not been able to claim superiority over a manual brush or competitive product in this parameter.4,8,10,13,16,19-22 Even though Ainamo et al. found an oscillating brush to be superior in the reduction of BOP, the differences were so slight that most clinicians would have a hard time distinguishing the dif-ference.7