Efficacy of a perio-toothbrush on early healing after periodontal surgery

Objectives: Application of chemotherapeutic mouthrinses is common practice after periodontal surgery to replace mechanical cleaning. Since even CHX rinses do not completely inhibit plaque accumulation, additional mechanical cleaning could improve wound healing. The study aim was to determine whether brushing with an ultra soft toothbrush in combination with chlorhexidine 0.2 % (CHX) is as effective as CHX 0.2 % alone.

Methods: A randomized, investigator-blind, cross-over clinical study was performed. Forty patients who had chronic periodontitis with probing depths exceeding 5 mm in at least 2 sextants were included. All participants underwent modified Widman flap surgery and then received for one sextant the perio brush and CHX (group A) and for the other CHX only (group B). Each treatment period lasted 14 days. Primary parameter was the early wound healing index (Wachtel et al. 2003) after 7 and 14 days. As secondary parameters, plaque, gingivitis, discoloration indices, and gingival recessions were recorded at the treated teeth at inclusion, baseline, after 7, and 14 days for each treatment sequence. Paired t-tests were applied to find differences between treatment groups (p≤0.05).

Results: In both treatment groups, the wound healing index decreased from day 7 to day 14 as did the gingivitis index. The plaque indices remained close to zero. Gingival recessions increased slightly at the treated teeth. Discoloration was not lower in the group that used the toothbrush. At any time point (baseline, day 7, day 14), no statistically significant differences between group A and B concerning all parameters existed. No premature suture loss was observed in both groups.

Conclusion: A post periodontal surgery treatment regimen that allows the application of an ultra soft perio toothbrush in addition to CHX rinses is as effective as CHX rinses alone in early wound healing.

The study was supported by GABA Int., Switzerland