There are literally hundreds of different toothbrushes being marketed at any one time, all promising to deliver a superior clean and improve the users oral health. Manual, electric, oscillating, sonic, floss action.….for a device that is basically used to scrape plaque and food off your teeth there is no shortage of options to win over the consumer. So which is best and why?
At dental school we are taught that a manual toothbrush, with a small head and soft bristles, combined with daily flossing and fluoridated toothpaste is the gold standard for keeping those pearly whites and gums healthy (when used correctly and for the adequate amount of time). Being human however means we will make mistakes in our technique which can lead to ongoing problems. Electric toothbrushes either use an oscillating (spinning left and right) or sonic (rapid side to side vibration) to increase the 'cleaning power’ of the toothbrush. The idea behind them is to take out a lot of human error in brushing technique and having the brush do the work.
Between the two styles of brushes there are various other features such as bluetooth, pressure sensors, different cleaning modes, travel cases. Whether these are helpful to the patient is really based on the individual. What we are really interested in is which style is more effective at plaque removal, and if they’re actually better than manual toothbrushes.
A study (https://www.cochrane.org/CD002281/ORAL_poweredelectric-toothbrushes-compared-to-manual-toothbrushes-for-maintaining-oral-health) has found that electric toothbrushes are superior to manual ones in cleaning, regardless of the type. The difference however between oscillating and sonic is less clear, with studies showing slightly better plaque reduction with oscillating type brushes, but a difference so small that this may not be of any significance in the real world.
Our advice? We have always preferred the oral b oscillating style toothbrushes. The smaller brush head enables easier access to those back teeth. However if you use a sonic toothbrush and its working for you, theres no compelling evidence for you to change.
Just remember that no amount of brushing will substitute for flossing, and this is true for electric toothbrushes also.