Oral-B launches new ultra premium Triumph Black 7000 power toothbrush

The Triumph 5000 has been a well established product within the Oral-B power toothbrush range for several years now. With the launch of the Triumph Black 7000 version however, it has now undergone a major overhaul.

As well as a new brushing mode, there has been a change in the handle and in the accessories for the brush. The black handle has a soft grip covering, a galvanised surface and blue LED indicators, while the accessories have been redesigned, from a new version of Smart Guide with a wall holder through to a new rigid travel case for the brush handle and two accompanying brush heads, designed to withstand the most adverse travel conditions, plus a light travel charger soft pouch.

With the launch of Oral-B 3D White Whitestrips, there is now an emphasis on how various combinations of Oral-B products can be used for maximal convenience and effectiveness. Hence the Triumph Black comes with 4 brush head refills - one FlossAction type; one Sensitive; one ProWhite; and one Precision Clean. This allows there to be various combinations of operating modes and brush heads for greater versatility so that the dental professional can target their oral hygiene advice to the challenges faced by the individual patient.

It is well known that if patients are given a brush they like to use, they will use it more often, comply more readily with recommendations from their dental professional and experience improved oral health. Having a brush with a range of heads and modes allows the dental professional to tailor their advice to the patient in a powerful manner.

A number of well established Triumph features continue in the Black edition (Figure 1), including the Smart Guide version 2.0 feature, which reminds the user to brush for sufficient time, coaching them through proper brushing habits and helping to improve brushing behaviour. The Smart Guide feature extends the average brushing time by up to 38% longer than would otherwise be the case.¹ The longer brushing time has major implications in terms of better removal of dental plaque, with evidence from clinical trials of up to twice the amount of plaque removed than if a manual brush was used.

The Triumph Black has a force sensor and is able to respond to the brushing force applied by the user. The brush senses when patients are pressing too hard. Indicators light up on the handle, the brush slows down and pulsations stop. By providing this feedback, the brush can reduce the amount of time brushed with excessive force by up to 88%.

The brush uses the well established concept of a small, round brush head with an oscillating-rotating motion. The rotational side-to-side brush movement helps bristles reach all areas of the teeth from all angles, especially in hard-to-reach areas, and its effectiveness is shown with high levels of evidence.

Backed by stellar research

A 2005 Cochrane systematic review showed that oscillation-rotation powered brushes were consistently superior to manual brushes for plaque and gingivitis reduction,² a finding which was confirmed in a later 2011 review.³ A key point from the 2011 Cochrane review was that powered brushes with an rotation-oscillation action reduced plaque and gingivitis more than those with a side to side action over 4-12 weeks. This conclusion was based on the accumulated results from 7 randomised controlled clinical studies each of which was at least 28 days in duration. The cleaning action is enhanced further by the addition of a pulsating action to disrupt plaque, giving more plaque removal, whilst still remaining gentle on the soft tissues. The brush head generates 48,800 movements per minute, which is remarkable given that only 600 movements per minute occur when using a standard manual toothbrush.

Smart Guide version 2.0

The Smart Guide display has been redesigned with greater contrast as well as improved and larger display icons to give even greater clarity as to what modes are being chosen - a key point given that the brush can show battery status as well as the different modes (Daily Clean, Deep Clean, Sensitive, Polish/Whitening, Massage and a new mode with this model - Tongue Cleaning) (Figure 2). Performance wise, the new display has up to 70% better visibility than in earlier models, based on digital plaque imaging analysis.

The tongue cleaning function is an important addition given greater recognition of the role of biofilm from the tongue in halitosis and as a reservoir for some Gram negative species implicated in periodontal diseases. Tongue cleaning is accomplished using the Oral-B Sensitive brush head refill as this has a flat trim brush head topography which is better suited to the shape of the tongue surface. The pressure sensor in the brush is disabled when the Triumph Black is used in tongue cleaning mode as force control is not needed for tongue brushing.

Given the importance of ongoing motivation for the user, an additional interactive motivational tool known as Star Reward has been included, which is designed to increase brushing compliance by rewarding the user instantly after brushing. In essence, after use, one star appears for every 30 second period of brushing time completed.

The brush head patterns continue the well established Oral-B patterns which are specifically designed to be effective in plaque removal, to adapt to the curvature of teeth, to allow deep penetration in interdental spaces and other hard to reach areas (Figures 3 and 4). The bristles on the brush heads have consistent high level of bristle end-rounding, a feature which ensures protection of the gingival soft tissues during brushing.

The Triumph Black 7000 powered brush is an important milestone in the development sequence of powered brushes and it builds on the more than 125 clinical studies (ranging from 1 week to 33 months) which have been conducted with Oral-B power toothbrushes and brush heads. Reliability of the Triumph Black is expected to be high, given the extent of factory testing which simulates many years of use.

References

1. Walters PA, et al. A novel oscillating-rotating power toothbrush with SmartGuide™: designed for enhanced performance and compliance. J Contemp Dent Pract 2007; (8)4:001-009)
2. Robinson P, et al. Manual versus powered toothbrushing for oral health. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD 002281. DOI : 10.1002/14651858.CD002281.pub2
3. Deacon SA, et al. Different powered toothbrushes for plaque control and gingival health. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD 004971. DOI : 10.1002/14651858.CD004971.pub2