Clinical evidence for the efficacy and safety of powered toothbrushes.

Powered toothbrushes are becoming increasingly popular among the general population, and there are many models on the market from which to choose. The design of these toothbrushes is changing constantly, as one would expect with a developing and expanding market, and from the dental professional's standpoint, it is difficult to evaluate products from the literature simply because the designs of clinical trials for powered toothbrushes are so varied. For example, the cohort recruited for testing the products is seldom the same from one study to the next. The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the findings from some of the more contemporary trials of powered toothbrushes and to examine some of the factors that might have an effect on the observations and outcomes.