TRIED & TESTED / White Power: Do electric toothbrushes make your teeth gleam brighter? Our panel puts five models to the test

YOU MAY not have noticed, but the past week has been National Smile Week, part of a campaign to get us to take more care of our teeth - and an excuse to encourage us to invest in equipment that's more heavy-duty than a plastic toothbrush. An electric toothbrush doesn't necessarily clean any better than an ordinary one - if you brush your teeth properly, that is. But investing some cash in a gadget may be an incentive to stop your regular routine becoming slipshod. We asked four dental students to test some electric toothbrushes and plaque removal instruments, which do the same job, to see which was the most effective.

THE PANEL

Denise Faulks, Seema Yousef, Sharon Goodwin, Neil MacMillan, all dental students.

THE TEST

The panel gave each appliance marks for how easy it was to manoeuvre around the mouth, how good it was at cleaning the teeth and gums, and how quiet it was in operation. The marks were then converted into a star rating.

**** BRAUN .TX.- ORAL-B D5 PLAQUE REMOVER WITH TIMER

pounds 64.99

Although the most expensive (apart from the Braun Centre, below, which includes a water-jet unit), this appliance carried off the honours. The panel gave it top marks.' The best - nice, small head; felt like it was getting right between the teeth and gums. Quietest and most comfortable. I even used it when I had a hangover,' said Denise Faulks. It was Seema Yousef's favourite: 'It is not noisy, and the easiest to handle. The round brush is good for cleaning around the gums.' Sharon Goodwin agreed: 'My teeth felt very clean afterwards. Be careful not to apply too firm a pressure to avoid traumatising the gums.' Like the Rowenta (below), this has a timing device - but you are advised to brush for two minutes, not three.

***BRAUN ORAL-B OC5 PLAQUE REMOVER CENTRE

pounds 119.99

This expensive piece of equipment consists of the Oral-B plaque remover and a separate 'oral irrigator' gadget (also available separately for pounds 69.99) which squirts water jets to remove stubborn food particles and massage the gums. The plaque remover performed well but the panel did not think the water jet added much. 'No real improvement on the Braun without the water jet,' said Neil MacMillan. Seema Yousef agreed: 'The idea of the irrigator sounds impressive, but it doesn't work that well. It is a real hassle to do every night since there is a lot of cleaning after every use to ensure that bacteria do not accumulate in the water container. Besides, if you brush well and use floss, there shouldn't be any large bits between the teeth that need to be removed.'

***BOOTS RECHARGEABLE TOOTHBRUSH

pounds 30

This brush, which is the cheapest of all, scored pretty well all round, although it did not match the winning Braun appliance and testers pointed out some disadvantages. 'The brush is quite easy to get around the mouth but the back teeth seem to get missed out. An angled brush head would make it much easier to reach them,' said Seema Yousef. 'The device was a little too long and heavy for a child to hold,' said Sharon Goodwin, 'but the small brush head is good for efficient cleaning. Simple, unobtrusive design, two speeds useful.' Denise Faulks did not think the movement of the brush head was effective, and added: 'It made all my teeth vibrate and feel uncomfortable.'

INTERPLAK SERIES 300 HOME PLAQUE REMOVAL INSTRUMENT

pounds 62.95

This brush works by the head remaining still while the bristles rotate and then reverse direction. You can also change speeds. Our panel differed as to how effective it was at cleaning, but overall this appliance was rated the poorest. Most thought it was bulky and heavy to manoeuvre around the mouth, and the panel also voted it the most noisy. 'You need a mouth the size of an elephant's. Completely unsuitable for children. Made your whole head rattle but at the same time the bristles didn't seem to be very firm,' said Denise Faulks. 'Brush head too large and bristles spaced too far apart for thorough cleaning,' commented Sharon Goodwin. 'It vibrates so much that you feel the vibrations down your arm. I can't think of anything good to say about it,' was Seema Yousef's opinion. Neil MacMillan had a more favourable view, giving it his top marks for effective cleaning - although he acknowledged that it was expensive.

**ROWENTA DENTACONTROL PLUS ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH

pounds 39.99

Testers did not rate this brush one of the most effective, although its light weight made it easy to handle. Seema Yousef liked the angled head which, she thought, made it easier to clean difficult areas of the mouth. 'However,' she added, 'the brush was not smooth-running and the brush head often became detached from the appliance which was a bit annoying.' Sharon Goodwin did not find it easy to manoeuvre around the back of the mouth because, she said, the implement was too long. Denise Faulks hated it: 'It felt like some kind of pneumatic drill. I did try to use it more than once but ended up finishing with my own toothbrush.' A plus point is the timing device which bleeps to tell you when you are nearing the recommended brushing time of three minutes. You can also buy a high- pressure water jet and spray (for cleaning between the teeth) for the same price, and a combined toothbrush and water-jet for pounds 79.99.

NEXT WEEK: BARBECUES

(Photographs omitted)