Comparative Effects of Bioelectric and Manual Toothbrushing on Acrylic Denture Teeth: Surface Integrity and Wear Analysis
Peer-reviewed · PLoS One 2026 · Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Two years of brushing, reproduced in a lab
Thirty-six acrylic (PMMA) denture teeth were split into three matched groups of twelve and mounted in a brushing simulator. Each was brushed for 20,000 strokes, roughly two years of home cleaning, under a fixed 200 g load, using a standard fluoride toothpaste slurry rather than a gentle denture paste, to mirror how most people actually clean.
Three results, measured three ways
All brushing scratches a surface a little over time. After the same two years of simulated brushing, the surface cleaned with the bioelectric brush turned on was scratched about half as much as the one cleaned with a manual brush. The p<0.05 means the difference is statistically real, not chance.
None of the brushes wore away a measurable amount of the tooth material itself. The difference between them is in surface texture (fine scratching), not in material being ground away. The p = 0.71 confirms there was no meaningful weight difference between groups.
Roughness is measured in microns, and lower means smoother. All surfaces started around 1.5. After two years of simulated brushing, the bioelectric-on surface measured 1.84, staying close to where it began, while the manual-brushed surface rose to 2.23.
Drag to compare two surfaces after 20,000 strokes
Two denture-tooth surfaces, one brushed manually and one with the bioelectric brush turned on, shown at up to 200× magnification. Drag the handle: the left side shows the manual brush, the right side shows the bioelectric brush. Scale bar = 200 µm.
Surface roughness, before and after
| Group | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Manual brush | 1.54 | 2.23 |
| Bioelectric, current OFF | 1.48 | 2.16 |
| Bioelectric, current ON | 1.55 | 1.84 |
Mean roughness (Ra, µm). All groups started statistically level; only the current-on group avoided a statistically significant rise.
When activated, the bioelectric toothbrush produced statistically significantly less surface roughness on the acrylic teeth compared to the manual toothbrush and the bioelectric toothbrush in its inactive state (turned off), underscoring its effectiveness in minimizing wear and maintaining surface integrity.
Based on mean surface roughness (Ra) change after 20,000 brushing strokes (about 2 years), with no measurable material loss in any group.
Read the research. Try the brush.
Read the peer-reviewed paper in full, or bring the bioelectric toothbrush into your own routine.
Pimenta LA, Nowik CN, Zeinali S, Kim YW. Comparative effects of bioelectric and manual toothbrushing on acrylic denture teeth: surface integrity and wear analysis. PLoS One. 2026;21(7):e0352019.
