Objectives: A good quality of filament tips is desirable to protect both gingiva and dental hard tissues. The aim of the present study was to compare the end-rounding quality of the filaments in 15 electric toothbrushes (Rowenta dentaclip ZH-07, dentaclip ZH 010, rotaclip ZH-11; Blend-a-dent Wellenprofil 2000 hart, Wellenprofil 2000 mittel-weich, Medic for kids; Broxo; UltraSonex; Krups 548, Waterpik BH-4U; Butler Gum; Dr. Best e-Flex3; Oral-B (EB3, EB 17-8, Plak Control Kids)).
Material and methods: From each brand five brushes were chosen randomly. Five tufts were selected from each brush and studied with a scanning electron microscope (x 45) at a viewing angle of 45 degrees. The filament tips were numbered from top left to bottom right and selected filaments were judged by a well-trained, blinded second examiner according to the Silverstone & Featherstone method.
Results: Nine of the 15 brands examined showed a high ("acceptable": >89%), four products a medium (76-84%) and two a bad (34-38%) end-rounding quality.
Conclusion: A good quality of filament tips is claimed by the dental profession to protect both gingiva and dental hard tissues from abrasion. This could be observed for 13 of the 15 brands examined.
Copyright Blackwell Munksgaard, 2004.