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. 2020 Oct;50(5):340-354.
doi: 10.5051/jpis.1905320266.

Angled implant brush for hygienic maintenance of full-arch fixed-implant rehabilitations: a pilot study

Paolo Setti  1 , Paolo Pesce  2 , Elena Dellepiane  2 , Francesco Bagnasco  2 , Paola Zunino  2 , Maria Menini  2
Affiliations

Angled implant brush for hygienic maintenance of full-arch fixed-implant rehabilitations: a pilot study

Paolo Setti et al. J Periodontal Implant Sci. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: This pilot study was conducted to evaluate the cleaning efficacy of an angled implant brush for home oral hygiene of full-arch fixed-implant prostheses.

Methods: Forty-one patients treated with a full-arch implant rehabilitation in the maxilla or mandible (164 implants) for at least 4 months were enrolled. The screw-retained fixed prostheses were removed and baseline (T0) parameters were recorded, including plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), and bleeding on probing (BOP). All patients completed a 5-item questionnaire on hygiene maintenance and received an implant brush for home hygiene. After 1 month (T1) PI, PD, and BOP were recorded again and patients completed a 7-item questionnaire to evaluate their satisfaction with the implant brush. One-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate the significance of changes in PI, PD, and BOP. A P value <0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.

Results: A statistically significant reduction of BOP (0.62±0.6 at T0 vs. 0.5±0.5 at T1; P=0.032) was found, while no statistically significant changes in PD (1.74±0.5 mm at T0 vs. 1.77±0.5 mm at T1; P=0.050) or PI (1.9±0.7 at T0 vs. 1.7±0.7 at T1; P=0.280) occurred. According to the 7-item questionnaire, patients reported no difficulty in using the angled brush (63.4%) and deemed it highly (46.3%) or very highly (4.8%) effective in improving their home oral hygiene.

Conclusions: Within the limits of the present pilot study, the patients experienced a reduction of BOP 1 month after being instructed to use the angled implant brush. The angled implant brush appeared to be a well-accepted device for home-care hygiene of full-arch fixed-implant rehabilitations.

Keywords: Dental implants; Dental plaque; Implant-supported dental prosthesis; Oral hygiene; Toothbrushing.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Immediate-loading full-arch implant fixed rehabilitation of the upper jaw following the Columbus Bridge Protocol. (A) Panoramic radiograph taken 1 month after delivery of the full-arch fixed implant prosthesis. (B) Clinical view of the implant rehabilitation on the upper arch at the time of the study (T0).
T0: baseline evaluation.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Implant brush with angled neck used in the present study (TePe Universal Care).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Training session with the angled implant brush. (A) In-mouth practice with the implant brush. (B) Demonstration of the correct use of the implant brush using a model.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Responses to the 5-item baseline questionnaire (T0).
T0: baseline evaluation, SB: soft bristles, MB: medium bristles, CHX: 0.12% chlorhexidine.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Responses to the 7-item follow-up questionnaire (T1).
T1: follow-up evaluation, SB: soft bristles, MB: medium bristles, CHX: 0.12% chlorhexidine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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