Oral Malodour (VSC) Reduction by Toothpaste Containing Enzymes and Proteins

Objectives: To establish the effect of a toothpaste containing enzymes and proteins on oral malodour (total VSC) compared to a toothpaste without enzymes and proteins.
Methods: This was an ethics committee approved, parallel, double-blind randomised study. After screening and enrolment, consented subjects used a fluoride containing toothpaste for at least seven days. A baseline VSC measurement was taken using Oral Chroma CHM-2 after which the subjects used their assigned toothpaste (test toothpaste containing enzymes and proteins and fluoride or control fluoride toothpaste without enzymes and proteins) twice daily. After 4 weeks, further VSC measurements were taken 12 hours (overnight) and 2 hours after brushing with the assigned toothpaste. Total VSC (hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulphide) results for test toothpaste were compared to both the control toothpaste and to baseline (n=186).
Results: Significant reduction in malodour (total VSC) was seen for the test toothpaste compared to baseline at both 2 and 12 hours post-brushing (Paired Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, p < 0.005 and p < 0.01 respectively). Significant reduction in malodour (total VSC) was observed for the test toothpaste compared to the control toothpaste at 12 hours post-brushing with test product having 27.6% less VSC on average than control (ANCOVA , p<0.05; ratio test/control 0.724).
Conclusions: A toothpaste containing enzymes and proteins can lead to significantly lower levels of VSC and provide fresher breath than a control toothpaste without enzymes and proteins.