Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate if use of a Sonicare toothbrush (SC) was beneficial in the treatment of xerostomia patients. Methods: Fifty–six subjects with medication-induced xerostomia were randomly assigned to a SC or a manual toothbrush (MTB). Subjects were asked to brush for three minutes with saliva collections: during, at 15, 30, and 45 minutes after brushing. Two months later those on the MTB were crossed over to a SC and the saliva collections were repeated then and a month later. Questionnaires were given at the end of the study and three years later. Caries examinations were conducted after two years. Results: Paired analysis of the volunteers who had a MTB and then received a SC showed a significant increase in salivary flow at 15 minutes post-brushing collection (P=0.04). The end of study questionnaire showed that 96.4% of the subjects felt the SC was comfortable to use; 98.2% felt that the sonic vibrations enhanced salivary flow; 92.7% would use it to increase salivary flow. A follow-up questionnaire was given to 25 subjects who returned to a follow-up visit after 3 years: 88% said they still used their SC. Xerostomia patients often complain that their mouths never feel clean, but they rated the cleaning effect of the SC > 4.5 on a scale from 1 to 5 (5=excellent). Thirty-eight subjects (returning two years later) were matched for salivary flow, age, sex and medication with 38 subjects using a MTB and were examined by a calibrated examiner. Root caries was significantly higher in the MTB group 1.95 ± 2.71 compared to the SC group 0.81 ± 1.33 (MW p=0.01). Conclusion: Use of a Sonicare toothbrush is helpful in the treatment of saliva hypofunction. (This study was funded by Philips Oral Healthcare,Inc.)

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