Purpose: This pilot study compared the plaque removing ability of two flexible-head toothbrushes and one nonflexible-head toothbrush.
Methods: Twenty individuals meeting specific criteria participated. Three quadrants on each subject were disclosed and scored using the Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein plaque index. For consistency, one dental hygienist performed all brushing and another performed all indices. Pre- and post-brushing scores were compared using t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine differences.
Results: Differences between pre- and post-brushing scores of all groups were significant (p > 0.005). However, no significant differences were detected between mean scores of the test toothbrush groups and the control group of the two test toothbrush groups, or among the means of all groups.
Conclusion: No differences in plaque removing ability were found between or among the toothbrushes tested.