Effect of tapered-end and round-end bristles on the abrasive dentine wear applying increasing brushing forces

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effect of toothbrush bristles end configuration on the abrasive dentine wear at different brushing forces.
Material and methods: One hundred and sixty bovine dentine samples were randomized into eight groups (n = 20). Groups (1 to 4) were brushed with tapered-end bristles at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-N brushing forces, respectively. Groups (5 to 8) were brushed with round-end bristles with the same brushing forces. The brushing sequence was carried out using an abrasive slurry (RDA = 121) for 25 min. Profiles were recorded using a contact profilometer. Mean and standard deviation were calculated for the abrasive dentine wear in each group. Two-way ANOVA was used to locate any significance. The significance values were corrected after Tukey (α = 0.05).
Results: Brushing with tapered-end bristles resulted in statistically significantly less abrasive dentine wear than round-end bristles regardless of the applied brushing force (1 N: 4.4 ± 1.5 vs. 7.7 ± 2.0 µm; 2 N: 7.7 ± 2.1 vs. 12.2 ± 2.7 µm; 3 N: 11.3 ± 2.6 vs. 19.4 ± 3.7 µm; 4 N: 11.2 ± 2.1 vs. 25.3 ± 4.8 µm). The interaction between bristle configuration and brushing force was statistically significantly (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Tapered-end toothbrushes might be a safer choice for patients, especially when showing signs of non-carious cervical lesion. However, other toothbrush properties should also be considered.