Plaque Removal Efficacy of Four Dentifrices in Single Brushing Model

Method: This study was a single centre, randomized, examiner blind, four period crossover design. After informed consent and screening, subjects were scheduled to attend four treatment visits. For each treatment visit, subjects abstained from oral hygiene for a period of 24 hours, immediately preceding the pre-brushing dental plaque evaluation. All subjects underwent an oral soft tissue (OST) examination followed by disclosing and a dental plaque assessment. At visit 1 those who developed a sufficient amount of plaque (Turesky mean score ≥ 2.00) were randomized to study treatment. Subjects then brushed once under supervision for one timed minute, with one of the four test toothpastes after which re-disclosing and a post-brushing plaque assessment were carried out. Subjects completed four visits and brushed once with each of the four test toothpastes.

Result: The Turesky plaque score decreased from pre-brushing to post-brushing in all treatment groups. There was a statistically significantly greater reduction in plaque for toothpastes containing 67% with and without herbs and 62% sodium bicarbonate compared to the toothpaste containing 0% sodium bicarbonate (p<0.0001).

Conclusion: All three sodium bicarbonate test toothpastes demonstrated statistically significant superior plaque removal compared to that of a toothpaste containing 0% sodium bicarbonate after a single brushing treatment for one timed minute.