Philips Sonicare FlexCare - Sonicare.com - Sonicare

Figure 3—Estimated treatment effects are presented as means and respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs)
Full mouth
(6.34; 8.64, 4.03)
Anterior region
(7.75; 10.57, 4.94)
Posterior region
(6.27; 8.79, 3.75)
Interproximal surfaces
(6.07; 8.45, 3.69)
Posterior interproximal
surfaces (5.95; 8.53, 3.37)
Treatment Effect
Favors FlexCare Favors Triumph
Values are provided in parentheses (mean; upper limit of CI, lower limit of CI). The vertical black line indicates no effect in favor of either
treatment. Data located on the left side of the zero effect line indicate that the effect is in favor of FlexCare.
in removing supragingival plaque in periodontally
healthy adult subjects. In this trial, FlexCare was significantly
more effective than Triumph. The benefits
were demonstrated by greater percent plaque score
reduction, lower postbrushing plaque scores, and
treatment effects in favor of FlexCare. Superior
plaque reduction was found both overall and in all
subregions of the dentition. Importantly, there were
no reports of untoward product-inflicted soft or hard
tissue injury, corroborating the robust safety record
of previous sonic products. 15-17
A single-use model was used to investigate
plaque removal efficacy. The approach is recommended
for assessing an ideal situation in which all
subjects comply with the use of the device to which
they are randomly assigned. 18,19 Therefore, the reduction
in plaque score achieved with both devices represents
an optimum outcome. However, because
results obtained from a single-use study do not automatically
translate into clinically relevant benefits,
such as improvement of gingival or periodontal
health, these and other clinical outcomes must be
determined in long-term, randomized controlled
clinical trials of the products.
Our results suggest greater efficacy for the sonic
power toothbrush than Triumph, which features a
rotating–oscillating brush head motion. The favorable
outcome may be explained by enhancements in
the new toothbrush platform. These changes in architecture
and design were aimed at increasing plaque
removal efficacy and consumer experience. Most
obvious, the FlexCare handle is slimmer and lighter
than the Triumph handle, which may improve
maneuverability and reach. The ProResults brush
head was modified so that the 2 exterior tuft columns
were positioned at a slight angle projecting away from
the next interior tuft columns and the bristles
trimmed to a dome shape. This so-called radial bristle
arrangement resulted in wider filament reach during
the brush head’s sweeping motion. Thus, the
FlexCare brush head, which is also considerably
slimmer than the Triumph brush head, combined
with its smaller handle, may result in increased accessibility
to hard-to-reach areas. Lastly, the toothbrush
features a new drivetrain that maintains bristle amplitude
over a wider load range than Elite or Advance
models. 20 Amplitude is relevant in this context
because it determines the contact area of the bristles
with the tooth surface and the strength of fluid
dynamic action. 21
Intraoral examinations were conducted to
review the integrity of oral soft and hard tissues at all
visits before subjects started the 2-minute efficacy
brushing. No attempt was made to visualize and
count gingival abrasions or other mucosal lesions
immediately after these supervised brushings. The
tissue examination results reflected events that
occurred during the home-use periods. Seven
adverse events were classified as definitely product
related and occurred in subjects using the Triumph
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