Summary: Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of four different designed toothbrushes (Colgate Microsonic ®, Colgate Twister Fresh®, Colgate 360 Sensitive® y Colgate 360®) to determine the clinical advantage on removal of plaque using modified Bass technique in dental hygiene students in Cali. Methods: This is a controlled clinical trial to compare the efficacy of four toothbrushes designs with different tooth brushing methods in 200 female dental hygiene students with ages from 15 to 43. Control group used any tooth brushing technique whereas test group used modified Bass technique. Follow up was made daily for 21 days with O´Leary Plaque Index. Results: Colgate Twister Fresh® toothbrush had more probability to reduce plaque index at any time of follow up period than other toothbrushes. Modified Bass technique had more chance to reduce plaque than other techniques but with no significant differences. Conclusions: there were no statistically significant differences between tooth brush techniques. None of the four designs of studied toothbrushes showed differences in regard to plaque elimination. Key words: Manual toothbrushes. Modified Bass tooth brushing technique. Dental plaque control. Oral hygiene practices.