Clinical efficacy of a chlorhexidine-delivering toothbrush.

Objectives: Evaluate the efficacy and safety of an experimental toothbrush with a slow-release system of chlorhexidine (CHX) and determine its ability to inhibit plaque, bleeding, staining and oral tissue abnormalities during 6 weeks of use.
Material and Methods: One hundred and fifty healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the Test Brush group with a template slow-delivery system of CHX (Ttb), the Control Brush group without CHX (Ctb) and the Control Brush group without CHX but rinsing post-brushing with a 0.2% CHX mouthrinse (Ctb+R). At baseline as well as at 3 and 6 weeks, all clinical parameters were assessed. Following the baseline assessment, a supragingival prophylaxis was provided.
Results: One hundred and forty subjects completed the study. The Ctb+R group had lower plaque and bleeding scores than the Ttb and the Ctb group and significantly (p=0.0001) higher stain scores. There were no significant differences in plaque, bleeding and stain scores between the Ttb and the Ctb group. No differences were detected in oral tissue changes, except for discoloration of the tongue.
Conclusions: In the present study, no beneficial effect could be demonstrated for the experimental CHX-releasing toothbrush. The use of a 0.2% CHX mouthrinse (in combination with brushing) remains the gold standard for additional chemical plaque control.