Abstract:
Objective: To compare the effectiveness of LED toothbrush to manual toothbrush in reducing dental plaque and gingival inflammation in fixed orthodontic patients, and to investigate the effect of duration of LED toothbrush exposed to the S.mutans biofilm in vitro.
Materials and methods: Fifteen fixed orthodontic patients were recruited to this parallel-group analysis. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups relying on brushing methods: manual toothbrush and LED toothbrush. Plaque index and gingival index were examined by a calibrated-blinded examiner at baseline and 28 days after brushing period. In vitro part, the S. mutans biofilms were assigned to 5 groups with 6 samples each, depending on the duration of LED exposure, which are 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 120 seconds, and the control with no LED exposure.
Results: Between-group comparisons showed no significant difference in plaque index and gingival index. The LED toothbrush significantly reduced dental plaque at the gingival portion on the bracket side. In vitro part, the percentage of bacterial viability was significantly reduced in 15, 30, 60, 120 seconds group.
Conclusion: LED toothbrush did not more effective in reducing dental plaque and gingival inflammation than the manual toothbrush in fixed orthodontic patients. The LED blue light from the LED toothbrush significantly reduced the number of S.mutans in biofilm in vitro when the biofilm was exposed to the light for at least 15 seconds.
