April 08, 2004

By: Louise Marcovich
Website: http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com

Toothbrush – Company Challenges Dental and Medica Products

The Cochrane Oral Health Group today issued a statement criticizing efficacy claims and testing methods of certain power toothbrush manufacturers and challenged dental and medical product companies to develop and adhere to uniform testing standards.

The statement came in response to press releases sent by several power toothbrush manufacturers following a January 11 Oral Health Group report on a comprehensive review of clinical evidence on power toothbrushes.

The Oral Health Group, based at the University of Manchester in England, is one 49 research groups of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization with centers in 13 countries. The Collaboration, formed in 1992, is composed of volunteer professionals who use sophisticated analytic techniques to consolidate and assess previously conducted clinical studies. By producing and disseminating systematic reviews of the evidence, Cochrane aims to enabled health professionals, patients, third party agencies and governments to make well-informed choices about healthcare.

In its recent toothbrush review, the Cochrane Oral Health group analyzed all available reports on clinical trials of power toothbrushes conducted between 1964 and 2001. The reviewers found that only one type of power toothbrush action—rotation oscillation, in which the toothbrush head spins first in one direction and then the other—proved more effective than manual toothbrushing. Trials lasting less than one month and products brought to market after 2001 were not included in the Cochrane findings.

* In response to a January 11, 2003 press release in which The Gillette Company set forth positive conclusions about the technology used in particular products, William Shaw, Ph.D, FDS, MScD, the study co-ordinator, said that the Cochrane report states clearly that it endorsed no product.

While certain toothbrushes manufactured by Gillette do use oscillation rotation action, other toothbrushes with such action were also included in the review. Shaw is Professor of Orthodontics at the University of Manchester.

* In response to a January 15 release in which Philips Oral Healthcare challenged the Cochrane findings based largely on Cochrane’s inclusion of trials of side-to-side action toothbrushes conducted in the 1960s, Shaw pointed out that side-to-side toothbrushes studied in 1964 compared better against manual toothbrushes than several trials of Sonicare side-to-side action brushes tested after 1990.

When we excluded studies published prior to 1990, the results still failed to detect any benefit provided by powered toothbrushes with a side-to-side action on plaque or gingivitis when compared to manual toothbrushes.

Author Notes:

Louise Marcovich contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com.  Everything you need to know to get a whiter, brighter smile!