A profilometric and scanning electron microscopic analysis of tooth surface abrasion caused by rotary/oscillatory, linear motion, sonic, and ultrasonic toothbrushes: An in vitro study

BACKGROUND: Adequate plaque control facilitates good gingival and periodontal health, prevents tooth decay, and preserves oral health. Toothbrushing is the primary method of removing plaque and can be classified into powered and manual toothbrushes. AIM: The primary objective was to compare the abrasiveness and surface roughness caused by four different power-driven toothbrushes with a different mode of action, on tooth surfaces in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An in vitro experiment was conducted on eighty freshly extracted tooth specimens which were equally divided into four groups. Each group was brushed with the specifically assigned electric toothbrush to that group, but keeping parameters such as force applied during brushing, storage of tooth before and after brushing, and toothbrushing time same. A total of the 2-month study was done on each tooth specimen. Tooth surface roughness was recorded before and after the toothbrushing experiment to check the difference between surface roughness readings. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis was done afterward to analyse the surface topography of each group specimens. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Paired t-test used for intergroup analysis and intragroup analysis was done using Kruskal–Wallis test. RESULTS: After comparing the baseline and final readings of each group, it has been found that the mean difference between values is highly significant in Group 1 (rotary/oscillatory). The mean rank of Group 1 was least in all four groups, which showed the highest tooth surface abrasion in that group. SEM analysis also revealed that Group 1 tooth specimens had deeper scratches/lines comparatively to other groups. CONCLUSION: Rotary/oscillatory toothbrush caused the highest tooth surface abrasion when compared with other electronic toothbrushes.