| Old-fashioned
toothbrushes are just as good as electric ones at reducing
plaque and gum disease, a U.K. review has found.
Only one type of electric toothbrush was slightly
better than a manual toothbrush but the researchers were not
sure if this made much practical difference.
The only electric toothbrushes better than
manual toothbrushes at reducing both plaque and gum disease
were rotational oscillation brushes, where the head of the
toothbrush rotates first one way and then another.
These toothbrushes achieved a "modest
reduction", the researchers said, reducing the amount
of plaque by 11% and gingivitis by 6% in three-month trials.
Other electric toothbrushes, such as ultrasonic
toothbrushes, which vibrate at ultrasonic frequencies, were
no better than manual toothbrushes, the researchers said.
Nor were toothbrushes with heads that moved
from side to side, counter oscillation brushes with sets of
bristles that moved one way then the other, or circular-motion
electric toothbrushes whose heads rotated in only one direction.
The only advantages in an electric toothbrush
is for people with low mobility, such as small children or
aged people, or as an incentive to kids not interested in
cleaning their teeth who might find an electric toothbrush
a novelty.
The cleansing effects of the electric toothbrush
and the manual toothbrush are the same. To thoroughly clean
your teeth, correct technique is a essential.
Studies published by the American Journal
of Dentistry and the British Dental Journal both agree that
electric toothbrushes are more effective at removing plaque
and reducing gingivitis than manual ones.
This is because Electric toothbrushes can
move bristles at a much faster speed than you could possibly
achieve manually and they can remove plaque more evenly in
hard-to-reach places between the teeth, for example between
teeth and on back molars.
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