To investigate the effect of toothbrush bristles end configuration on the abrasive dentine wear at different brushing forces.One hundred and sixty bovine dentine samples were randomized into eight groups (Brushing with tapered-end bristles resulted in statistically significantly less abrasive dentine wear than round-end bristles regardless of the applied brushing force (1 N: 4.4 ± 1.5 vs. 7.7 ± 2.0 µm; 2 N: 7.7 ± 2.1 vs. 12.2 ± 2.7 µm; 3 N: 11.3 ± 2.6 vs. 19.4 ± 3.7 µm; 4 N: 11.2 ± 2.1 vs. 25.3 ± 4.8 µm). The interaction between bristle configuration and brushing force was statistically significantly (Tapered-end toothbrushes might be a safer choice for patients, especially when showing signs of non-carious cervical lesion. However, other toothbrush properties should also be considered.
