Efficacy of an innovative bio-descaling anti-calculus toothpaste: A double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial

Objectives: Calculus is a calcified mineralized plaque that plays an important etiological role in periodontal diseases. Most anti-calculus agents in toothpaste prevent calculus, show minimal calculus removal and/or damage tooth structures. The purpose of this randomized controlled clinical study is to test the efficacy of a newly developed anti-calculus toothpaste (D-Tart toothpaste) in removing calculus and dental stain compared to Crest anti-tartar toothpaste with similar pH and texture.
Methods: Eighty- three patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were blindly and randomly assigned into two study groups. Forty-two participants received the intervention (D-Tart toothpaste), and forty-one received the control toothpaste (Crest toothpaste). Calculus, stain, QHI plaque, and Gingival indices scores were recorded and compared at baseline, 3, 6 and 9 months, using a generalized linear model analysis with Wald’s Chi-square test. Scaling and polishing were offered to all participants at 3 months visit and the end of the study.
Results: At three months, the interventional group showed 34% less total calculus compared to the baseline mean score and 64% less total calculus compared to the control group. Over the 9 months, the mean calculus score for Crest users was 62% higher than that for D-Tart users. There was a significant improvement in the gingival health of D-Tart users than the Crest group at all intervals. However, both toothpastes were comparable in terms of stain removal, which was significantly lower than that at the baseline.
Conclusions: D-Tart toothpaste was more effective than a control toothpaste at removing and preventing calculus accumulation, and it could be helpful in preventing stain formation after 6-month use.