Malodor Reductions And Improved Oral Hygiene By Toothbrushing and Mouthrinsing

This study compared the effects of an antibacterial regimen, comprising a triclosan toothpaste (TCN-TP) and a 0.075% cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) mouthrinse, on malodor and oral hygiene measures relative to brushing with a fluoride toothpaste (FLU-TP). 

Method:

At baseline, 36 subjects were evaluated for malodor [6-point organoleptic scale (OLT)], dental plaque (Turesky modification of Quigley-Hein; PI), gingivitis (Loe-Silness; GI) and bleeding (Ainamo and Bay; BI) and randomized to (1) toothbrushing with FLU-TP, or (2) a regimen comprising toothbrushing with a TCN-TP and mouthrinsing with a CPC mouthrinse.  After first use of assigned treatments, subjects were evaluated for malodor 2-hours after breakfast (OLT-Post) and used provided treatments for the next 14 days.  On the 7^th and 14^thdays, subjects refrained from oral hygiene for 12-hours prior to evaluations (OLT, PI, GI, BI) and then performed oral hygiene at the dental clinic.  Subjects were evaluated for malodor 2-hours after breakfast  (OLT-Post) and self-assessed their malodor on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS).

Result:

Treatment groups demonstrated no significant differences in OLT, PI, GI, BI at baseline (p>0.05).  OLT-Post scores after first use of regimen and toothbrushing were 5.94 and 6.21, respectively, and were significantly different  (p<0.05).   Correspondingly, the regimen demonstrated progressive reductions in OLT and OLT-Post on the 7^th and 14^th day evaluations [5.81, 4.88, and 5.09, 4.20, respectively] and were significantly lower than toothbrushing alone [6.49, 6.18, and 6.35, 5.99, respectively] (p<0.05).   From the 7^th to the 14^thday, the regimen also demonstrated progressively lower PI, GI, BI and self-reported malodor (VAS scores) which were significantly lower that toothbrushing alone (p<0.05). 

Conclusion:

A regimen comprising a triclosan toothpaste and CPC mouthrinse demonstrated significant malodor reductions 2-hours after first use and increasing reductions in malodor, dental plaque, gingivitis, bleeding and self-reported malodor from the 7^th to the 14^th day than toothbrushing alone.