Effect of 3 dentifrices containing triclosan and various additives. An experimental gingivitis study.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Dentifrices and Triclosan in this randomized controlled trial publication.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 25 volunteers taking part.

PubMed indexes the participants as teenagers and adults, both men and women.

The antiplaque and antigingivitis effect of 3 dentifrices was evaluated using the 21-day partial-mouth experimental model of gingivitis.

25 volunteers took part in this cross-over, double-blind study, carried out in 4 phases of 21 days each.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover study.

The volunteers were allocated by chance, so the Dentifrices group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Blinding on both sides kept the volunteers and researchers unaware of who received Dentifrices.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Dentifrices could be set against what happens without it.

Each person switched between Dentifrices and the comparison at some point, usually with a gap in between.

For each phase of the study, a toothshield of the IV quadrant was constructed for each volunteer. 2 antiplaque dentifrices from the market, one containing triclosan + pvm/ma and the other triclosan + Zn, were compared with an experimental formulation and its placebo.

The experimental dentifrice contained triclosan + pvm/ma + Zn + PPi and the placebo (control) did not contain these substances.

The subjects were stratified according to their whole-mouth baseline plaque (PI), gingivitis (GI) and bleeding (BI) index scores, and then randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dentifrices.

During each phase, while the volunteers brushed their teeth with one of the dentifrices, the IV quadrant was protected by the toothshield filled with the dentifrice used.

After each phase, dental plaque, gingivitis and bleeding indices were determined.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Anti-Infective Agents, Local, Complex Mixtures, Dental Plaque, Dental Plaque Index, Dentifrices, Fluorides and Gingivitis.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Dentifrices and Triclosan in 25 volunteers.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Results are reported in around 2 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2000 (Journal of clinical periodontology), a journal based in United States.

More context: all human trials.