End-Morphology of Orthodontic Toothbrush Filaments: A Stereomicroscope Analysis: Cross-Sectional Research

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine and evaluate the form of filaments of four manuel orthodontic toothbrushes by stereomicroscope analysis. The existing literature lacks findings on the end morphology of orthodontic toothbrush bristles. Material and Methods: Eight samples from four different orthodontic toothbrush brands (Glimo Orthodontic Oral Care, Pearldent Ortho, Tepe Implant Orthodontic, Curoprox Ortho) were collected. After determining tuft numbers, two tufts from each toothrush head from the opposite sides collected by using a carbon disk and filaments from each sample were attached on a bristle paper with transparent tape. A total of 16 tufts were independently evaluated by an observer using a stereomicroscope (Zeiss Stemi 508, Germany) at 8x magnification. Bristle end morphologies were classified as acceptable and non-acceptable according to the Silverstone and Featherstone scale. Pearson's chi-square test was employed to analyze differences between toothbrush types. In instances where the estimated values did not reach sufficient levels, Monte Carlo simulation was used. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results:The bristle ends morphologies of Glimo and Pearldent toothbrushes were found to be 100% non-acceptable. There was a significant difference between toothbrush brands in terms of the distribution of bristle tip morphologies. (p=0.000). Specifically, 75.6% of Tepe brand filaments were deemed acceptable, while Curaprox exhibited an acceptable filament percentage of 48.2%. Conclusion: Among the evaluated toothbrush brands, Tepe emerged as the most acceptable orthodontic toothbrush, with 75.6% of filaments meeting the acceptable criteria. Conversely, Glimo and Pearldent displayed no acceptable bristle tip morphology.