CATEGORY 88 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST CLINICAL Believe it or not, the rst electric toothbrush was presented in Harper’s Weekly on February 13th in 1886. But a true milestone in the world of home dental care is considered to be the invention of the rst high-frequency sonic toothbrush – the Sonicare, by the Optiva Corporation – which was presented at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting in January 1993, nearly 30 years ago. However, in fact, the rst real electric and sonic toothbrush was the Broxodent, conceived in Geneva, Switzerland in 1954 by Dr. Philippe-Guy Woog, and presented in 1959 by Squibb Pharmaceuticals at the Centennial Congress of the American Dental Association in the USA. While a mechanical toothbrush is still the most popular standard for home dental care, and electrical toothbrushes were initially recommended for people with disabilities and children, sonic technology is now one of the most e cient and valued technologies in the oral-care world. According to a 2019 SHIP cohort study carried out over 11 years, using an electric toothbrush prevents tooth loss. e study found that people using a powered toothbrush experienced less attachment loss, which after their 11‐year follow‐up resulted in an average of 0.36 more teeth for electric brush users than those of their manual-toothbrush using counterparts. One of the most important people in the development of such innovative and helpful products, such as Curaprox’s Hydrosonic pro, is the renowned Professor The Hydrosonic pro Professor and co-creator of Hydrosonic pro, Dr Ulrich P. Saxer: “When using a sonic toothbrush, there are 3 golden rules: no pressure, a precise adaptation to the tooth, and a slow-scanning of the entire tooth surface.” The dental hygiene expert helps you answer your patients’ questions about sonic toothbrushes. Ulrich P. Saxer, an expert in the eld of gingivitis, periodontitis and peri-implantitis management – with both mechanical and chemical agents. Here are his answers to the key questions about sonic toothbrushes, that dental professionals around the world can con dently communicate to their patients. Prof. Dr Ulrich P. Saxer completed his studies in dentistry in Zurich, Switzerland in 1967, and specialised in periodontology and oral prevention early in his professional career. He is a former owner of a dental hygiene school in Zurich, and has helped set up four dental hygiene schools in Geneva, Bern and Zurich – institutions that educate a new generation of highly quali ed oral health professionals devoted to prevention. Prof. Saxer has conducted over 120 lectures in Europe and the USA, and published 150 scienti c papers. He is a key opinion leader in the eld of oral prophylaxis, and was scienti c advisor for the development of the latest generation of sonic toothbrushes made by Curaden AG. For many years, professor Saxer was a member of the board of Toothfriendly International – an international non-pro t organisation working for better oral health. The secret behind the easy yet highly effective cleaning of sonic brushes lies in the hydrodynamic effect. It has been proven that toothbrushes with over 60,000 movements per minute are capable of cleaning in two different ways. The first is mechanical, by direct contact of the bristles with the tooth, and the second is thanks to the hydrodynamic force that works bristles without even touching the surface of teeth and gums. It has been shown that removal of bacteria in gingival pockets up to 6 mm is possible thanks to the hydrodynamic effect. How can we explain the hydrodynamic effect to patients in a comprehensible way? Try explaining the hydrodynamic e ect to patients by comparing it to nature. When you brush your teeth, a mixture of saliva, water and toothpaste is created, and the sonic toothbrush turns this mixture into a wild mountain stream with many rapids and falls, or maybe even better – into a gentle tsunami. “Sonic toothbrushes are extremely easy to use even for kids or patients with orthodontic appliances or su ering from any form of motor disability.” With over 60,000 movements per minute, the sonic toothbrush generates incredibly strong turbulence in the abovementioned mixture. is turbulence then ensures that the mixture shoots over and between all the tooth surfaces at high speed. anks to this, plaque is removed even from spaces where the bristles cannot reach. Sonic toothbrushes don’t only clean where the bristles go, but also where this Prof. Dr Ulrich P. Saxer
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