Statement of the Problem:

 Ultra-soft bristles are recommended for individuals with gingival recession, dentinal hypersensitivity and patients who have undergone periodontal surgeries. However, comparative effectiveness of ultra-soft toothbrushes on dental plaque and bleeding indices has not extensively been studied, and a consensus has yet to be reached on their efficacy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ultra-soft toothbrushes with different commercial brands on plaque and bleeding indices.

In this cross-over randomized clinical trial, 30 participants were selected using convenience sampling method. The subjects were randomly divided into three groups (n=10). In the first session, the bleeding index was recorded. Then each subject was given a toothbrush (Oral B, GUM, or Fuchs), asked to brush at least twice a day using the Bass technique, then avoid brushing for 24 hours after a week and refer for recording the indices. During the second session, bleeding on probing was recorded before brushing, and plaque indices were recorded before and after brushing. Plaque indices before brushing were considered the baseline plaque indices. After one week of wash-out, each subject used the next toothbrush in terms of the group involved. Turesky plaque index, O’Leary plaque index and bleeding index were evaluated. The distribution of data was normal. Therefore, ANOVA, t-test, and post hoc tests were used for the analysis of data.

The bleeding and plaque indices decreased significantly compared to the baseline with the use of all the three ultra-soft toothbrushes evaluated (p < 0.05), with no significant differences between the three brands (p > 0.05) except for the superiority of Fuchs toothbrush in decreasing the Turesky plaque index.

Ultra-soft toothbrushes can reduce plaque index compared to the baseline, but they do not decrease the plaque index up to the optimal level, which might affect their prescription.