P18 Clinical effectiveness of a triclosan/copolymer/ sodium fluoride dentifrice in controlling oral malodor: a three‐week clinical trial

Abstract

Objective The purpose of the study was to compare the effectiveness of a dentifrice containing 0.3% triclosan/2% polyvinylmethylether/maleic acid (PVM/MA) copolymer/0.243% sodium fluoride (TCF) to a commercially‐available dentifrice containing 0.243% sodium fluoride (control) for the management of oral malodor in a 3‐week, randomized double‐blind, longitudinal clinical trial.Methods A panel of four expert judges used a nine‐point hedonic scale to evaluate breath odor using a protocol designed in accordance with the ADA Draft Acceptance Program Guideline for Products Used in the Management of Oral Malodor. Following a baseline evaluation, prospective subjects with hedonic scores above the threshold value for unpleasant breath were stratified by score and randomized into two treatment groups. Subjects brushed their teeth for 1 min with their assigned dentifrice, twice a day, for 3 weeks. Before oral malodor evaluations, the subjects refrained from eating odorigenic foods, from using mouthrinses and breath mints and from performing dental hygiene procedures.Results Eighty‐one adult male and female subjects completed the study. The baseline hedonic scores for the TCF and control dentifrices were 7.80 and 7.84, respectively, corresponding to unpleasant breath. The final mean oral malodor scores for the TCF dentifrice differed significantly from the baseline and control values (P < 0.05) for every time point examined (1.5‐, 4.0‐, 12.0‐h and 1‐, 2‐ and 3‐week intervals). The mean final breath scores for the TCF dentifrice group were 3.06, 3.48, 3.42, 3.66, 3.42 and 3.36, respectively, for each time point. These scores correspond to pleasant breath. Conversely, the control dentifrice group scored at levels either above 5.0 (before 12 h) or above 7.0 (after 12 h) which corresponded to neutral or unpleasant breath.Conclusion In conclusion, the results of this double‐blind clinical study clearly indicate that a dentifrice containing triclosan/copolymer/NaF provides effective control of oral malodor for up to 12 h.