Oral diseases are the most prevalent non-communicable diseases worldwide, affecting 3.5 billion people, with a disproportionate impact on those living in low- and middle-income countries. Despite being largely preventable through proper oral hygiene, current oral health promotion strategies rely heavily on plastic and nylon toothbrushes, which present both environmental and accessibility challenges. In response to the growing need for sustainable, affordable, and accessible preventive oral health solutions, there has been increasing interest in alternatives to conventional toothbrushes. This scoping review aimed to summarize the global literature on silicone toothbrushes, an underutilized tool in preventive oral care. A systematic search of five databases, supplemented by reference screening, identified ten English-language studies investigating silicone toothbrushes. Findings suggest that silicone toothbrushes are effective in plaque removal, have a lower risk of gingival trauma, are well-suited for specific populations, and perform better in environmental impact assessments. This review also demonstrated that silicone toothbrushes remain under-researched and underutilized, highlighting the need for further high-quality studies to evaluate their effectiveness, safety, and broader implementation.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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This study did not require ethics approval, as it involved only the synthesis of publicly available, peer-reviewed literature and did not involve the collection of new data from human participants. In accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2, 2022 Article 2.2), research relying exclusively on publicly available information does not require Research Ethics Board review. The primary studies included in this review were assumed to have obtained ethics approval and informed consent as reported by their respective authors.

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