A New Landmark Oral Hygiene Study Highlights Phillips Sonicare as Key to Proper Brushing

    Oct. 23, 2003
    In "Real World" Study of More Than 2,600 Dental Professionals and   Patients, Hygienists Indicated That 95% of Dental Patients Who Used   the Sonicare Elite for 90 Days Showed Improved Overall Oral Hygiene.

    With dental professionals constantly advocating proper oral care
    to their patients beyond just twice-a-year dental office visits, a new landmark practice-based evaluation(1) found that the Philips Sonicare Elite power toothbrush from Philips Oral Healthcare, a division of Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG), significantly improved patients' overall oral hygiene. In fact, participating RDHs indicated that 95% of their patients who used the Sonicare Elite for 90 days showed improved overall oral hygiene. The results of the study, completed over a 90-day period (January-March 2003) in 900 dental offices in the U.S. and Canada targeting more than 1,700 patients, was released today by Philips Oral Healthcare at the American Dental Association (ADA) Annual Session in San Francisco, California.

    In this practice-based evaluation conducted by Morley Research,
    which is currently being prepared for publication in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene, each registered dental hygienist (RDH) enlisted and evaluated two of their patients before and after continued use of the Sonicare Elite over 90 days. Interestingly, two out of three dental hygienists participating in the study also saw an improvement in their own overall oral health.

    "Utilizing real life situations is a perfect and necessary
    complement to laboratory research," said Trisha O'Hehir, RDH, RS. "Our goal is to get our patients to practice proper hygiene in their homes, which is sometimes easier said than done. Practice-based research delivers the real life insights into whether patients use new products and use them effectively."

    Among the study's most noteworthy conclusions: approximately 93% of patients liked the Sonicare Elite better than the brush they
    normally use after 90 days of use, and more than three quarters of patients indicated that they were likely to replace their current
    toothbrush with the Sonicare Elite.

    "My biggest challenge with patients before the study was getting them to brush for the two-minute period and the frequency in which they were brushing," said Judy Peacock, San Diego, CA-based RDH and study participant. "I think the Sonicare Elite is an excellent motivator for them. In fact, one patient is now brushing for four minutes because she loves the way it feels."
    After seeing the results of using the Sonicare Elite in their
    patients and on themselves, 98% of participating RDHs indicated that they would recommend the Sonicare Elite to their patients. These comments reflect a trend seen in the retail market as well, with Sonicare having a stronghold on the category with 58% of all
    rechargeable power toothbrush sales, according to IRI data. In
    general, September data highlighted the popularity of power
    toothbrushes -- a 9% overall increase in the number of power
    toothbrushes bought over the last year, with Sonicare as the fastest growing brand in dollar sales with a 23.6% spike(2).

    Additional key study findings included:
    -- 63% of RDHs and 82% of patients believed they brushed longer at each brushing with the Sonicare Elite than with their current toothbrush

    -- More than 70% of RDHs and 80% of patients felt they had
    smoother, cleaner teeth after using the Sonicare Elite

    "We wanted to use real dental professionals and patients in real situations to evaluate Sonicare's efficacy, and the results of this study truly speak for themselves," said Chris McInnes, principal scientist for Clinical Affairs at Philips Oral Healthcare. "The
    Sonicare power toothbrush is personally used and recommended by more U.S. dental professionals than any other brand, which speaks to its superior standing as the standard in oral health and hygiene."

    To participate in this practice-based evaluation, RDHs were
    required to be full-time dental hygienists. Both RDHs and patients
    could not be current Sonicare Elite users. Full details of the study
    will be available at Sonicare b oth #1812 at the ADA Annual Session and are available by contacting Paul Yoffe at 323-866-6062 or [email protected]. For more information on Sonicare, visit www.sonicare.com.