Effect of the toothbrush tuft arrangement and bristle stiffness on the abrasive dentin wear

Abstract

The geometrical properties of toothbrushes play a role in developing abrasive tooth wear and non-carious cervical lesions. This study investigated the interplay between the toothbrush tuft arrangement (crossed vs. parallel) and bristle stiffness (soft vs. medium) on the abrasive dentin wear using three slurries with different levels of abrasivity (RDA: 67, 121 and 174). Twelve groups of bovine dentin samples (n = 20) were brushed with a combination of the aforementioned variables. Abrasive dentin wear was recorded with a profilometer and the resulting abrasive wear of each group was calculated and compared with each other using two-way ANOVA and pairwise tests. Toothbrushes with parallel tuft arrangement caused statistically significantly higher dentin wear compared to crossed tuft arrangement, regardless of the abrasivity level of the used slurry and the bristle stiffness. Soft crossed tuft toothbrushes caused statistically significantly higher abrasive dentin wear than medium crossed tuft toothbrushes, while soft and medium parallel tuft toothbrushes caused the same amounts of dentin wear, regardless of the RDA value of the used slurry. These results could be helpful for dentists and dental hygienists when advising patients. Crossed tuft toothbrushes could be a less-abrasive choice in comparison to parallel tuft toothbrushes.

Intraoral Scanning for Monitoring Dental Wear and Its Risk Factors: A Prospective Study

“…With regard to exogenous abrasion, this type of dental wear, traditionally associated with toothbrushing, appears to be influenced more by the force applied during brushing than by the abrasive components in toothpaste [ 72 ]. Due to the complexity of measuring the brushing force applied by patients, studies in this area have mainly been carried out in vitro.…”

Robot and mechanical testing of a specialist manual toothbrush for cleaning efficacy and improved force control

“…An alternative strategy to reduce the force transmitted to the teeth during brushing is to use softer bristles, and previous studies have investigated the relationship between bristle stiffness and abrasive dentine wear, a correlate of transmitted force [ 23 , 26 – 30 ]. However, whilst some studies suggest that softer bristles are associated reduced dentine abrasion [ 23 , 27 , 28 ], others indicate the opposite [ 26 , 31 ]. Other factors in addition to bristle stiffness, such as their density, diameter, length, orientation and arrangement, as well as toothpaste properties are also thought to influence the findings of these studies [ 29 , 30 ].…”

“…An alternative strategy to reduce the force transmitted to the teeth during brushing is to use softer bristles, and previous studies have investigated the relationship between bristle stiffness and abrasive dentine wear, a correlate of transmitted force [ 23 , 26 – 30 ]. However, whilst some studies suggest that softer bristles are associated reduced dentine abrasion [ 23 , 27 , 28 ], others indicate the opposite [ 26 , 31 ].…”