In addition to their power source, power toothbrushes differ in their cleaning technology mechanisms and can be categorized by the manner in which the brush head moves. Table 1 summarizes the various types of motion and modes of action in electric brush movements.
| Mode of Action | Brush Head Motion | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Oscillating-Rotating | Brush head rotates in one direction and then the other. Does not rotate in full circle. | Oral-B Vitality |
| Oscillating-Rotating Pulsating | Entire brush head oscillates, rotates, and pulsates. | Oral-B Professional Care Series Oral-B Smart Series Oral-B GENIUS |
| Oscillating-Rotating with Micro-vibrations | Brush head oscillation rotation is synchronized with micro-vibrations, a novel, bristle-driven, vertical movement. | Oral-B iO |
| Side-to-side (sonic) | Brush head moves laterally in a side-to-side motion. | Philips Sonicare |
| Multi-directional | Brush sweeps from side-to-side and pulsates. | Colgate ProClinical |
| Counter-Oscillation | Adjacent tufts rotate in opposite directions to each other. | InterplakD |
| Circular/Rotary | Entire brush head rotates in a full circle moving in one direction only. | Rotadent® Rotadent.com Den-Mat Holdings, LLC@2018 |
| Ultrasonic | Uses a very high frequency of vibration to remove plaque and bacteria from the teeth. Does not need physical motion. Bristles vibrate at ultrasonic frequencies of 1.6MHz or 192,000,000 movements per minute | Megasonex or Emmi-Dent Toothbrushes |
| Ionic | Similar to a manual toothbrush. Maintain contact with the metal band on the brush which imparts an electrical charge to the tooth’s surface. | IONICKISS Dyna-Dental Systems |
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