TITLE:
Effects of Adjunctive Daily Blue Light Toothbrushing on Dental Plaque and Gingival Inflammation—A Randomized Controlled Study
AUTHORS:
Nadja Bjurshammar, Sebastian Malmqvist, Gunnar Johannsen, Elisabeth Boström, Jonas Fyrestam, Conny Östman, Annsofi Johannsen
KEYWORDS:
Phototherapy, Antimicrobial Blue Light, Dental Plaque, Gingival Inflammation, Toothbrushing
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Stomatology,
Vol.8 No.10,
October
24,
2018
ABSTRACT: Phototherapy with blue light emitting diodes
(LEDs) is gaining interest because of the efficient antimicrobial benefits reported in several studies in the last decade. The aim in this study
was to investigate if a toothbrush with incorporated blue light used in daily
oral care can reduce dental plaque and gingival inflammation. An 8-week single-blinded
randomized controlled clinical study including 48 subjects compared effects of
toothbrushes with/without 450 nm blue LED light emission, on clinical
parameters (plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing), and on
inflammatory markers in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid. Significant
reductions in dental plaque and gingival inflammation (p β and interleukin (IL)-8, were detected within both groups from
baseline to follow-up. For all subjects dental plaque was reduced with 57%, and
a reduction in gingival inflammation was demonstrated by a decrease in gingival
index (GI) with 46% and in bleeding on probing (BOP) with a decrease of 15%. No
significant differences were found between the groups at a level of p = 0.05. However, the
amount of plaque was reduced by 62% in the blue light group and 51% in the
control group, a difference established at a level of p = 0.058. A toothbrush with a
450 nm LED did not show any statistical significant adjunctive effect of
toothbrushing regarding reduction in measurements of dental plaque and gingival
inflammation.