Waterpik^™ Sensonic^™ Complete Care is up to 3x as Effective as Brushing Alone for Improving Gingival Health and up to 5X as Effective for Removing Plaque in Hard-to-Reach Areas

Objective

To compare the effectiveness of the Waterpik^™ Sensonic^™ Complete Care to the Sensonic^™ toothbrush alone and a manual toothbrush alone on the reduction of plaque, bleeding, and gingivitis.

Methodology

One hundred five subjects were randomized into three groups in this 4-week, single-blind, parallel clinical trial. Group 1 used the Sensonic^™ Complete Care (SCC). Group 2 used the Sensonic^™ toothbrush (STB), and Group 3 used a manual toothbrush (MTB). The participants could not use any additional interdental products or mouthrinses. Sensonic^™ Complete Care subjects used the Sensonic^™ toothbrush for two minutes and the water flosser for one minute. The Sensonic^™ toothbrush group and manual toothbrush group each used their respective product for two minutes. All were given written and verbal instructions. Bleeding, gingivitis, and plaque were measured at baseline, 1-week, 2-weeks, and 4-weeks. Indices used were bleeding on Marginal Probing (BOMP), Modified Gingival Index (MGI), and the Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index (RMNPI).

Results

At 4-weeks, the Waterpik^™ Sensonic^™ Complete Care was superior to the Sensonic^™ toothbrush and the manual toothbrush at reducing bleeding, gingivitis, and plaque. Compared to brushing alone, for whole mouth and proximal scores, the Sensonic^™ Complete Care was up to 3X as effective at reducing bleeding and up to 2X as effective at reducing gingivitis. For plaque, SCC was 55% more effective for whole mouth reduction and up to 5X better proximally. SCC was also superior to the STB alone, 74.1% vs 48.3% for BOMP (whole mouth), 18.3% vs 14.4% for MGI (whole mouth), and 18.1% vs 5.9% (whole mouth) for RMNPI. Sensonic^™ Complete Care users saw improvements in whole mouth gingival health over brushing alone as early as 1 week; up to 2X as effective at BOMP and MGI, and 38% better at RMNPI.

Conclusion

The Waterpik^™ Sensonic^™ Complete Care is superior to both a manual and Sensonic^™ toothbrush alone for reducing bleeding, gingivitis and plaque.