Electric toothbrushes preserve teeth

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

If you want to keep your teeth, you should use electric toothbrushes. They prevent tooth loss - and much more effectively than manual ones.

Brush thoroughly two times a day for three minutes: experts recommend this dental care. But brushing with a manual toothbrush is less effective than brushing with the electronic version: Although they do not protect better against tooth decay, they tend to protect against gum inflammation and tooth loss.

Classic versus electric

Scientists working with Dr. Vinay Pitchika from the University of Greifswald in a study with 2,819 adults. They examined the participants' teeth and gums and used questionnaires to collect data on their general health and their dental care routine. After six and eleven years, they examined and interviewed the subjects again.

The study shows: The gum pockets of the “electric cleaner” were on average 22 percent less deep than those of the “manual workers”. Such pockets arise when bacteria and plaques settle on the teeth. This enlarges the gap between the tooth and the gum, so that the bacteria can attack the tissue in the depths of the teeth holding apparatus. The result is periodontitis, an inflammation of the teeth holding apparatus. The gums recede, the teeth become loose and eventually fall out.

One fifth less tooth loss

Participants in the study who cleaned their teeth with an electric brush had a correspondingly 20 percent lower risk of tooth loss. On average, they lost 0.4 teeth less than manual toothbrush users. "Our study shows that electric toothbrushes are most beneficial for maintaining good oral health," says study author Pitchika.

In particular, people who did not suffer from gum inflammation or who suffered only slightly from inflammation of the gums at the start of the study benefit from the brushes. In severe cases, electric cleaning is no longer sufficient: "These patients need medical treatment," says Pitchika.

Rotating toothbrushes are particularly effective

But which electric toothbrushes clean best? Other researchers have investigated this question in an earlier study. This shows that rotating electric toothbrushes in particular improve oral hygiene. These models removed plaques better than vibrating brushes and were therefore particularly effective in preventing gingivitis and thus tooth loss.

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