Multiple toothbrush designs have been developed to enhance dental biofilm removal and decrease bacterial contamination and retention over time. Therefore, the aim of this clinical study was to compare the efficacy of a prototype of a new double-sided thermoplastic polyurethane-based toothbrush with that of a conventional nylon-bristle toothbrush. A crossover study was conducted in systemically healthy volunteers (n = 24) for two one-week periods plus one washout week. As outcome variables, plaque and gingival indices, total bacterial contamination of the toothbrushes by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and patient-reported outcomes were measured. Clinical and microbiological variables were analysed using a general linear model and Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. No statistically significant differences between toothbrushes were detected neither for full-mouth PlI (p > 0.05) nor for GI (p > 0.05). Similarly, no statistically significant differences were detected for bacterial contamination after 40 seconds or 1 week of use, with results expressed either in CFU/mL or in CFU/mm² (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the tested prototype toothbrush was as effective and safe as the control toothbrush, and the participating subjects did not experience any adverse effects from its use and rated its efficiency and effectiveness in cleaning their teeth as satisfactory.

中文翻译：

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新型双面热塑性聚氨酯基牙刷的牙科生物膜去除和细菌污染：健康志愿者的交叉研究

已经开发出多种牙刷设计来增强牙齿生物膜的去除并减少细菌污染和随时间的保留。因此，本临床研究的目的是比较新型双面热塑性聚氨酯基牙刷原型与传统尼龙刷毛牙刷的功效。一项交叉研究在全身健康的志愿者 (n = 24) 中进行，为期两个一周的时间加上一个清除周。作为结果变量，牙菌斑和牙龈指数、通过定量聚合酶链反应 (qPCR) 对牙刷的总细菌污染以及患者报告的结果进行了测量。使用一般线性模型和 Friedman 和 Wilcoxon 符号秩检验分析临床和微生物变量。p > 0.05) 也不是 GI ( p > 0.05)。同样，在使用 40 秒或 1 周后，未检测到细菌污染的统计学显着差异，结果以 CFU/mL 或 CFU/mm ²表示( p > 0.05)。总而言之，经过测试的原型牙刷与对照牙刷一样有效和安全，参与受试者在使用过程中没有遇到任何不良影响，对其清洁牙齿的效率和效果评价为令人满意。