Electric Toothbrush Review

Electric toothbrushes: Research and tests

Does an electric toothbrush really clean your teeth better than a manual toothbrush? Until recently, many dental experts said no, maintaining that if you brush for two minutes at least twice a day, floss and visit your dentist regularly, manual brushes and electric toothbrushes are equally effective. However, research by the Cochrane Oral Health Group and others now indicate that powered toothbrushes with an oscillating rotating action are more effective than manual toothbrushes in reducing plaque and gingivitis. Other types of powered toothbrushes produced less consistent reductions in plaque and gingivitis than manual brushes. The Cochrane group's study involved 3,855 participants and over 25 different powered and manual toothbrushes.

Another research study by the Journal of Dentistry corroborates findings of the Cochrane Oral Health Group -- electric toothbrushes using an oscillating rotating motion, such as toothbrushes by Braun Oral-B, are more effective than manual brushing at reducing plaque. A test by a more mainstream source -- Men's Health Magazine -- comes to the same conclusion: Braun Oral-B toothbrushes (in this case, the Oral-B ProfessionalCare) reduce plaque the most. Consumer Reports is not a good review source when it comes to electric toothbrushes. Editors have only tested four models over the last five years, and none recently.

We found the best review of electric toothbrushes on the British magazine Which?. Its test includes 12 electric toothbrushes, most of which are available in the United States. The brushes are tested on a model of four molars. Plaque removal is measured with a device called a "scanning laser vibrometer," which combines a laser scanner, a sensor and a video camera. Testers also assess battery performance and charging time, ease of use and comfort. Each of the 12 toothbrushes receives a lengthy review. Good Housekeeping tests electric toothbrushes in their video series, "GH on TV." In addition, we found single-product reviews on the websites for Popular Mechanics and Women's Health magazines, as well as consumer reviews at Amazon.com.

We also found several scientific studies in dental journals comparing toothbrushes against each other. Although these studies provide interesting data, it should be noted that most of these are sponsored by a toothbrush manufacturer.

The latest new electric toothbrush is the Ultreo (*Est. $100), which claims to combine "ultrasound waveguide technology" with brushing to achieve what its website describes as "an incredibly long-lasting feeling of clean." Positive feedback has come from the likes of Esquire, which gave the Ultreo a "grooming award," and New York Magazine, which plugged it in a short article. That said, the Ultreo's cleaning effectiveness has yet to be scientifically evaluated, and the final word on this powered toothbrush won't truly be known until clinical studies are performed that compare the Ultreo to models by industry leaders such as Oral-B and Sonicare.

We found some personal testimonials for the Ultreo, but these are based on casual, at-home testing by one or two individuals rather than comparative studies. Several reports we read say that people generally feel their teeth are cleaner after using the Ultreo, but this research also uncovered some concerns. The Ultreo has a learning curve in that you're not supposed to brush too hard with it. And while everyone seems to like the snazzy packaging and design, several users say that the brush head feels bulky in their mouths, so much so that they didn't feel they could properly reach some back teeth.

Back in September 2007, Procter & Gamble (which makes Oral-B electric toothbrushes, among others) filed a lawsuit against Ultreo, claiming that Ultreo makes misleading and false claims as to efficacy. Procter & Gamble says there's no clinical evidence involving consumer testing that proves ultrasound has an effect on plaque. In fact, Procter & Gamble claims that in its own tests, the Ultreo was actually more effective when the ultrasound feature was turned off. Obviously, Procter & Gamble has a financial motivation for challenging Ultreo, since it doesn't want to lose market share. In September 2008, a court found that Ultreo did have the right to make its claims, though that is not to say that the court found the claims themselves to be valid.

For now, the information on the Ultreo is inconclusive. While there are a good number of user reviews praising the Ultreo, there have been no blind studies yet that compare results with the competition. Ultreo was not included in the test of 12 electric toothbrushes conducted by the Which? website. Users generally feel that it works at least as well as Sonicare or Oral-B electric toothbrushes, but it remains to be seen whether the "ultrasound waveguide" feature actually makes a difference in plaque or gingivitis reduction.

The problem with any kind of toothbrush is that many people just aren't dentally self-disciplined. A number of articles we came across during our research say that most Americans brush for only 30 to 60 seconds, which is half the time recommended by dentists, and not nearly long enough to enable the fluoride in toothpaste to work properly. Reviews say the best electric toothbrushes come with a two-minute timer and are able to reach hard-to-clean areas better than most of us tend to do with a manual brush.

For those of us who could use a little encouragement to keep brushing past the one-minute mark, experts say electric toothbrushes are worth the investment. They're also good for folks who have restricted use of their hands or arms, and for children who might be motivated to brush longer with a fun-to-use electric brush.