Effect of Zinc Lactate and Lactic Acid Added Tablets on Oral VSC

Objectives: A clinical trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of sugar-free tablets containing zinc lactate and lactic acid on oral volatile sulfur-containing compounds (VSC) for two hours.
Methods: To join the study, subjects had to have at least 24 teeth, no report of oral and systemic diseases and no removable dentures. All eligible participants had to avoid professional oral hygiene and drugs for two weeks, to be not menstruating, to avoid brushing their teeth and tongue, to smoke, to assume alcohol, coffee or tea, onion, garlic, licorice for six hours before the test. Moreover, they had to score a level of VSC ≥75 ppb at the basal measurement. The test tablet (0.7g) contained zinc lactate, delivering 0.255mg of zinc per tablet and lactic acid 10.402mg. The OralChroma2^© device was utilized to evaluate VSC in the oral air. The levels were recorded at baseline, after sucking two tablets in succession and after 1 hour and 2 hours. Data were analyzed with SPSS software and significance was set at α=0.05. The study was conducted in accordance with ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki and approximate Good Clinical Practice guidelines.


Results: 16 subjects (mean age 33±12 years) completed the trial. None reported problems linked to the assumption of zinc lactate and lactic acid. At baseline, the VSC mean was 129±59ppb; after the tablets sucking, it was 36±24ppb, after 1 hour it was 80±36ppb, after 2 hours it was 110±42ppb.The mean reductions from baseline at the end of tablets sucking was 72% (p<0.001), after 1 hour, it was 38% (p<0.005), after 2 hours, it was 15% (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Tablets containing zinc lactate and lactic acid can statistically significantly reduce the oral VSC levels immediately and for over 2 hours.