Oral VSC Reduction by Tablets with Zinc Gluconate or Lactate: Two in Vivo Trials

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of sugar free tablets delivering different dosages of zinc lactate or gluconate on VSC over two hours.
Methods: These trials were planned in a cross-over design. Participants had ≥75ppb VSC at baseline, not oral or systemic diseases, removable dentures, be menstruating. Six hours before and during the test, they had to avoid brushing, smoking, drinking alcohol, eating onion, garlic, liquorice. The tablets (0.7g) for first trial contained 0.17mg zinc as lactate or gluconate, those for second trial 0.255mg zinc as lactate. In first study, subjects had to assume two tablets of different zinc salts at different appointments. In second study, subjects had to assume two or three zinc lactate tablets at different appointments. OralChroma2^© was utilized to measure VSC at baseline, after the sucking of two or three consecutive tablets, after one hour, after two hours. Data were compared intra-group with “paired” t-test, among groups with ANCOVA.
Results: 16 subjects completed both trials. In first test, the mean of reductions at end of sucking was 58% (p<0.001) for zinc lactate and 60% (p<0.001) for zinc gluconate, after one hour it was respectively 24% (p<0.001) and 28% (p<0.005), after two hours it was 2% (pConclusions: Two tablets containing zinc lactate or gluconate (0.17mg Zn each) can similarly reduce VSC for one hour but not for two hours. Instead, two or three tablets with zinc lactate (0.255mg Zn each), can similarly and significantly reduce VSC for two hours.