Comparative evaluation of efficacy of manual cross-action and powered cross-action toothbrushes in control of plaque and soft tissue inflammation around implants supporting mandibular overdentures

Introduction: Effective plaque removal is an important factor in the long-term clinical success of dental implants. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy of a powered toothbrush (Power Cross-Action) and a manual toothbrush (Cross-Action) in the control of plaque and soft tissue inflammation around implants supporting mandibular overdentures.Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-over clinical trial. The subjects included 10 edentulous subjects, aged 47-73 years, with removable mandibular overdentures supported by 2 unsplinted implants; all the subjects wore maxillary complete dentures. The study consisted of two 4-week phases separated by a 2-week interval. In each phase each subject randomly used one toothbrush type. Two days prior to each phase, the implants were polished. Plaque and bleeding indices were recorded before and after brushing. Data was analyzed by t-test using SPSS software (α = 0.05).Results: Both toothbrushes reduced the indices under study. Means of plaque index decreases were 0.5 in manual toothbrush and 0.44 in powered toothbrush. Means of bleeding index decreases were 0.27 in manual toothbrush and 0.3 in powered toothbrush. There were no statistically significant differences between the two toothbrush types in changing plaque index (p value = 0.88) and bleeding index (p value = 0.91).Conclusion: Both toothbrushes were efficient in plaque control around implants which supported mandibular overdentures and there was no difference between them.  Patients can use one of these toothbrushes depending on personal preference and comfort. Key words: Dental implants, Hand toothbrush, Mechanical plaque removal, Overdenture, Powered toothbrush.