A Clinical Trial of Two Cetylperidinium Chloride Alcohol Free Mouthwashes

Objective: To evaluate the plaque inhibition properties of two formulations of cetylperidinium chloride (CPC) alcohol-free mouthwash. Methods: Volunteers were recruited to a double blind, three period, crossover study and in each period assigned to one of the following groups: 0.1% w/w CPC [B] and 0.05% w/w CPC [A] and a placebo mouthwash [C]. Differences between mouthwashes were assessed using mean Plaque Area (Addy et al 1983) and Plaque Index scores (Quigley & Hein 1962). Measurements were made at the start of each period (baseline) and at 16, 24 and 40 hours. Standard analysis of variance techniques were used to examine the treatment by period interaction, as well as the treatment, period and subject main effects. In addition, parameter estimates were used to estimate the pairwise differences between the three mouthwashes. Results: At baseline, mean plaque areas were similar across the three treatment groups in periods 1 and 3, but significantly larger means were observed for mouthwash A and B patients only in period 2. At all time points (16, 24 and 40 hours), mouthwash A and B showed significant reductions in plaque areas compared to mouthwash C. The baseline plaque indices were also similar. However, from and including 16 hours, significantly lower Plaque Index scores were observed for both mouthwashes A and B compared to mouthwash C. The changes from baseline Plaque Index scores showed reduced efficacy for mouthwash C, and no differences were observed between mouthwashes A and B.

Conclusions: Both Alcohol-Free CPC Mouthwashes were superior to the Placebo Mouthwash, with respect to mean Plaque Area measurements and Plaque Index scores at all time intervals. There were no differences between the two active mouthwashes.