Methods: 44 healthy adults with overnight plaque accumulation were randomly assigned to one of 2 combination paste-rinse-brush regimen groups. The Crest® Oral-B® Pro-Health™ Clinical combination (COP) group used an advanced 0.454% SnF2 dentifrice, a flexible manual brush, and an advanced 0.1% CPC+1.5% H2O2 rinse, while the Colgate® Total® regimen (CT) group used a 0.3% triclosan paste, manual brush, and 0.05% CPC rinse. Test pastes and rinses were dispensed in blinded packaging for at-home, unsupervised product use following manufacturers' instructions. Overnight plaque accumulation was disclosed with fluorescein, and digital image analysis was used to measure plaque area (% coverage) on the anterior facial tooth surfaces. Between-group comparisons used analysis of covariance.
Results: 43 subjects completed treatment and were evaluated. Mean (SD) age was 43.1 ranging from 19 to 75, overnight mean plaque was 12.9, with groups balanced on baseline demographics (p>0.34) and overnight plaque (p>0.93). Relative to the CT group, the COP group demonstrated significant (p<0.005) reductions in overnight plaque at Weeks 2 and 4, respectively. As early as Week 2, the COP group demonstrated significantly lower overnight plaque area coverage by 58% relative to the CT group with means (SE) of 5.9 (0.99) and 13.9 (0.97), respectively, with significant differences continuing through Week 4. One subject (in the COP group) discontinued treatment early because of an adverse event.
Conclusion: In head-to-head testing, combination use of a co-branded stannous fluoride dentifrice, flexible brush and CPC rinse yielded significantly less overnight plaque accumulation relative to another co-branded triclosan paste, manual brush, and CPC rinse combination, and both regimens were generally well-tolerated.