The effects of three silica dentifrices containing Triclosan on supragingival plaque and calculus formation and on gingivitis.

What Was Tested

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

A double blind, seven month clinical study was conducted to determine the effects of three Triclosan containing test dentifrices on supragingival plaque, gingivitis and supragingival calculus formation compared to a 0.8 per cent monofluorophosphate-silica control dentifrice.

Why It Was Studied

Each test dentifrice contained 0.3 per cent Triclosan; additionally one contained 0.75 per cent zinc citrate, the second contained 2 per cent Gantrez and the third contained 5 per cent pyrophosphate.

Who Took Part

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

Subjects were assigned to one of the three test groups or to the control group according to random allocation within nine strata.

Subjects were evaluated for supragingival plaque and calculus formation and for gingivitis after one, four and seven months' use of the dentifrices.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized and double-blind study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Zinc and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Zinc, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

What Was Measured

Each test dentifrice contained 0.3 per cent Triclosan; additionally one contained 0.75 per cent zinc citrate, the second contained 2 per cent Gantrez and the third contained 5 per cent pyrophosphate.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Citrates, Citric Acid, Dental Calculus, Dental Plaque, Dental Plaque Index, Dentifrices and Diphosphates.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and double-blind study of Zinc and Triclosan.

The publication is from 1993 (International dental journal), a journal based in England.

More context: the related Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc library page, all human trials.