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10 DENTAL HYGIENE Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | 2/2018 Tested and Reviewed, Part 1: Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart toothbrush By DTI When it comes to toothbrushing, consumers and dentists are con- fronted with such a vast range of choices and new products enter- ing the market on a monthly basis, it becomes diffi cult to keep track of things. What is the best tooth- brush out there? What is currently the most advanced technology? Which toothbrush is worth recom- mending to patients who want to improve their oral health? This se- ries of reviews aims to answer these questions by evaluating innovations from the world of dentistry. What’s in the box? The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart toothbrush set includes a toothbrush body, four different brush heads (Premium Plaque De- fence, Premium Gum Care, Pre- mium White and TongueCare+), a travel case, a Philips-branded glass, an induction charger and the Philips Sonicare app which is compatible with most common smartphones, and can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store, free of charge. Design, acessories and functionality At fi rst sight, the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart toothbrush convinces with a timelessly sleek, smooth and minimalist design. Its white casing, which is completely sealed - apart from the on/off and mode selection buttons - does not appear to collect as much bacteria as competing models might do. The mode selection button lets pa- tients choose between three brush- ing intensities (slow, medium and fast) and between fi ve modes (clean, white+, gum health, deep clean+ and tongue care), which are all shown as illuminated symbols on the tooth- brush body. Similarly, the battery life is shown as an illuminated symbol at the very bottom of the body. As for the charging options, the toothbrush can be charged via a glass induction charger or a travel case for patients on the go. is something some patients might look out for and is certainly a benefi t worth mentioning. The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart toothbrushes are available in different colours and match accom- panying products such as the Philips Sonicare Airfl oss. Philips Sonicare app The Philips Sonicare app was de- signed to provide patients with per- sonalised coaching for better cover- age, reduced scrubbing and ideal pressure. The setup of the Sonicare app is extremely simple. After down- loading it onto a smartphone, brush- ing can start almost immediately. After opening the app, the Smart Brush Head Recognition technology recognises the attached brush head and selects the appropriate mode that goes with the brush. Of course, the patient can manually select a dif- ferent mode on the toothbrush. Because of its Sonicare technology, the toothbrush appears to be less noisy than other models on the mar- ket. Of course, this has no impact on the brushing performance but Using the same smart sensor tech- nology, the toothbrush and app exchange data to provide an overall clear picture of the patient’s brush- ing habits. The integrated location Product Information The fi rst part of an ongoing review series discusses the Sonicare DiamondClean Smart toothbrush by Dutch technology company Philips. (Photograph: Philips Sonicare) sensor helps avoid missed spots, the scrubbing sensor reduces un- necessary movements for a gentler clean and the pressure sensor gives visual and vibration feedback when too much pressure is applied. Lastly, the app and the toothbrush monitor brush head lifetime. When a brush head needs replacing, an orange symbol illuminates on the tooth- brush body. On the app, patients can see how many sessions are left before the brush head is no longer effective. A nice feature that might be helpful to patients who need motivation to complete their daily oral healthcare routine regularly is the smart timer and the “goals” section of the app. The patient can choose between four different goals (fresh breath goal, gum health goal, plaque removal goal and whitening goal) that last 21 days each. After each completed goal, the patient gets awarded points. The smart timer ensures that the rec- ommended brushing time of two minutes or longer is completed. The gallery shown below includes some screenshots and explanations of how the app looks and works. Clinical evidence The aim of Philips Oral Healthcare is to be an extension of the Den- tal Practitioner in patients’ homes, providing oral hygiene tools that meaningfully improve and sustain oral health. That’s why new product launches are evidence-based and can serve as decision-making foun- dations aimed at discovering which oral care procedures and regimens are best for each patient. In a special issue of “The Journal of Clinical Dentistry”, Philips published fi ve full manuscripts of evidence, detailing the outcomes of four clini- cal trials one meta-analysis. In these studies, the safety and effi cacy profi le of Sonicare innovations have been critically examined. In summary, it can be said that the effect of Philips’ products on surface plaque removal, gingival bleeding and infl ammation is better in every tested aspect than with manual toothbrushing. The full clinical data can be accessed here (https://www.usa.philips.com/c-m- pe/dental-professionals/resources_ and_education/professional-educa- tion/clinical-studies). Summary Overall, the Philips Sonicare Dia- mondClean Smart toothbrush com- bines form and function and is worth recommending to patients who want to optimise their oral health- care routine in a well-controlled and trackable manner. Both the tooth- brush and the accompanying app are easy to use and support intuitive brushing. Especially the app is a use- ful feature if a patient feels like they are struggling with staying motivat- ed to brush their teeth regularly. Monthly overviews help pa- tients to see progress and im- provement. A personalised overview can be used as a guide to give special attention to prob- lematic areas. When too much pressure is applied, the app and tooth- brush will notify the patient with vibration, visual and audio signals. GLUMA® Desensitizer & GLUMA® Desensitizer PowerGel More gain, less pain. Giving a hand to oral health. With the brush head replace- ment reminder, forgetting to exchange brush heads is a thing of a past. Different goals, for example, the plaque removal goal, can be chosen to improve a certain oral health issue. In this overview, the yellow areas show that some ar- eas were not given enough attention during the brush- ing session. After the brush- ing session, a reminder asks if the patient fl ossed, used mouthwash and cleaned their tongue.