Manual Versus Oscillating-rotating Toothbrushes After Root Coverage Procedure

BACKGROUND Oscillating-rotating power toothbrushes have been proven clinically efficacious. To the investigators' knowledge, a clinical evaluation of the safety of these toothbrushes after surgical root coverage procedure have not been published. The aim of this study is to evaluate the gingival margin stability with the use of oscillating-rotating toothbrushes compared to manual toothbrushes.

METHODS Sixty healthy patients with at least a single Miller Class I or II gingival recession underwent surgical root coverage procedure. Soft-bristle manual and powered toothbrushes were given to participants randomly assigned to control and test group, respectively. Full-mouth plaque score, Full-mouth Bleeding Score, Probing Pocket Depth and Recession Depth were recorded 1, 3 and 6 months after completion of surgical procedure. Longitudinal analyses were performed using linear random-intercept models to take into account within-subject correlations over time. Temporal trend differences across treatments by including treatment-time interaction terms were then tested using a global Wald test.

Inclusion criteria

• Full-Mouth Plaque Score (FMPS) ≤25%
• Full-Mouth Bleeding Score (FMBS) ≤25%
• Miller Class I and II buccal recession ≥2 mm

Exclusion criteria

• Relevant systemic condition or disease
• Smokers
• Teeth with prosthetic crowns or restorations in the cervical area
• Presence of pulling frenum in the keratinized tissue
• Previous mucogingival or periodontal surgery in the experimental site