ELECTRIC BRUSHES FOR SPECIAL CHILDREN

Manual toothbrushes are just as good as the fashionable electric variety, new research recently claimed.
Many dentists, however, believe that while both types remove dental plaque and prevent gum disease, the electric variety can be superior.
‘The bottom line is that powered toothbrushes can be a useful aid in improving oral health,’ says David Collins from the British Dental Health Foundation, an independent charity who give free dental health advice (helpline 0845 063 1188 ) to the public.
‘Some people clearly do benefit from using powered toothbrushes, and the degree of benefit relates to their dental condition, their brushing technique, the type of toothbrush, and other factors.’
So what is the truth about electric toothbrushes? Here, we investigate the full range of electric toothbrushes and give each a rating out of 10.
Battery operated or rechargeable?
Battery operated toothbrushes are cheaper and more portable than rechargeable ones, so they can be a good introduction if you’re not sure whether you will enjoy using a powered toothbrush.
When you’re comparing prices, remember to count in the cost of replacing batteries. Another point to bear in mind is that with a battery toothbrush you won’t necessarily be aware when it’s not working optimally. With a rechargeable one, you can keep it fully powered all the time.
With both battery operated and rechargeable, there are different types of heads, which move in different ways:
Rotation/oscillation: The brush head, which is usually round in shape, spins a quarter-turn in one direction, then a quarter-turn in the other.
In the study by the Cochrane Collaboration, an independent non-profit organisation which evaluates medical practices, this was the only type of electric toothbrush shown to work better at cleaning teeth than manual toothbrushes, with a modest improvement in efficiency of 7 per cent reduction in plaque and 17 per cent in gingivitis.
Counter oscillation: Adjacent tufts of bristles rotate in one direction and then the other.
Circular: The brush head rotates in just one direction.
Side-to-side: The brush head is designed to be used in a side-toside action.
Ultra sonic: The bristles vibrate using a very high frequency.