Do natural ingredients in a dentifrice contribute to prevention of plaque and gingivitis?

OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of a dentifrice containing the turmeric and licorice extract compared to a control for preventing plaque and gingivitis over a four-month period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety (non-dental) participants with moderate gingival inflammation (≥ 40%) were selected. The triple blind study consisted of two phases, namely at first a 3-week pre-experimental phase of using an oxygenating and chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthrinse. Secondly, a 4-month experimental period in which participants were randomly assigned to a test or control group. All were instructed to brush their teeth twice daily for 2 minutes with their assigned dentifrice. Gingival bleeding (BI), plaque (PI) and gingivitis (GI) were assessed. RESULTS: Eighty participants completed the protocol. At the first assessment in the pre-experimental phase, the mean scores of all indices showed no differences for the two groups. At the second session, the values of all three parameters had decreased significantly (p < 0.001). At the last session, the BI values were 0.52(0.25) for the test group and 0.56(0.25) for the control, the mean GI was 0.27(0.17) for the test group and 0.31(0.16) for the control, and for PI the scores were 1.89(0.46) for the test group and 1.98(0.43) for the control group. Statistical comparison of the scores for the two groups at each stage of the study showed no significant difference for any of the parameters. CONCLUSION: Within the limits of the current study design, dentifrice formulation and concentration of turmeric/licorice extracts, the results show that the adjuvant effect of the natural ingredients in the test dentifrice was not evident on clinical parameters of gingivitis and plaque.

Dental plaque score reduction with an oscillating-rotating power toothbrush and a high-frequency sonic power toothbrush: a systematic review and meta-analysis of single-brushing exercises.

AIM: To establish the effect of a single-brushing exercise on dental plaque removal using an oscillating-rotating power toothbrush (OR-PTB) as compared to a high-frequency sonic power toothbrush (HFS-PTB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MEDLINE-PubMed and Cochrane-CENTRAL databases were searched up to September 2019. The inclusion criteria contained (randomized) controlled clinical trials involving healthy adult participants brushing with an OR-PTB as compared to an HFS-PTB. Plaque index (PI) scores were evaluated after a single-brushing exercise. RESULTS: A total of 15 publications were included, representing 34 comparisons, of which 8 were professional brushing exercises and 26 participant brushing exercises. The potential risk of bias was estimated to be low. In the overall descriptive analysis of 34 comparisons, 19 comparisons showed a statistically significant difference in favour of the OR-PTB and 4 in favour of the HFS-PTB. The meta-analysis using the professional brushing study design showed a significant difference of means (DiffM) in favour of the OR-PTB (PI score) (DiffM 0.19; P < .0001) (95% CI [013; 0.25]). In those studies where the participants brushed themselves, the data were inconclusive. PI scores showed no difference between the two brushes (P = .15), while one plaque index (the Rustogi Modified Navy plaque index) indicated significant favour for the OR-PTB (DiffM 0.06; P = .002) (95% CI [0.02; 0.09]). CONCLUSION: Based on the estimated evidence profile, there is moderate certainty of evidence of a very small but significant beneficial effect on plaque removal after a single-brushing exercise with the OR-PTB over the HFS-PTB.

Tongue coating in relationship to gender, plaque, gingivitis and tongue cleaning behaviour in systemically healthy young adults.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this observational study was to investigate the relationship between tongue coating (thickness [Tc] and surface discoloration [Td]) and gender, plaque, gingivitis (bleeding on marginal probing [BOMP] and bleeding on pocket probing [BOPP]) and tongue cleaning behaviour. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 336 participants were screened for this cross-sectional study, from which 268 (150 male, 118 female) were found to be eligible. Aspects of tongue coating were visually assessed. Additionally, BOMP, BOPP and the plaque index (PI) were scored. To ascertain the tongue cleaning behaviour, the Oral Hygiene Behavior questionnaire was used. RESULTS: Most tongue coating was found at the posterior sections of the tongue surface. A thin coating and white discoloration were most prevalent as highest score for both males (92.7%) and females (87.4%), as well as white discoloration for the whole group of participants (50.2%). A gender difference was observed for TC and Td (P < .001). Analysis did not reveal a relationship between Tc and PI and between Td and PI. Also, no relation was detected between tongue cleaning behaviour and Tc or Td. However, tongue cleaning was associated with lower BOMP and BOPP scores. CONCLUSION: BOMP, BOPP or PI score did not appear to be linked to Tc and Td. A significant gender difference was found for Tc and Td. Self-reported tongue cleaning behaviour was associated with slightly lower BOMP and BOPP scores.

On the ecosystemic network of saliva in healthy young adults.

A dysbiotic state is believed to be a key factor in the onset of oral disease. Although oral diseases have been studied for decades, our understanding of oral health, the boundaries of a healthy oral ecosystem and ecological shift toward dysbiosis is still limited. Here, we present the ecobiological heterogeneity of the salivary ecosystem and relations between the salivary microbiome, salivary metabolome and host-related biochemical salivary parameters in 268 healthy adults after overnight fasting. Gender-specific differences in the microbiome and metabolome were observed and were associated with salivary pH and dietary protein intake. Our analysis grouped the individuals into five microbiome and four metabolome-based clusters that significantly related to biochemical parameters of saliva. Low salivary pH and high lysozyme activity were associated with high proportions of streptococcal phylotypes and increased membrane-lipid degradation products. Samples with high salivary pH displayed increased chitinase activity, higher abundance of Veillonella and Prevotella species and higher levels of amino acid fermentation products, suggesting proteolytic adaptation. An over-specialization toward either a proteolytic or a saccharolytic ecotype may indicate a shift toward a dysbiotic state. Their prognostic value and the degree to which these ecotypes are related to increased disease risk remains to be determined.

The effect of different interdental cleaning devices on gingival bleeding.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of an oral irrigator (OI) with a prototype jet tip or a standard jet tip to floss as adjunct to daily toothbrushing on gingival bleeding. METHODS: In this single masked, 3-group parallel, 4-week home use experiment, 108 subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1) 01 with a prototype jet tip; 2) OI with a standard jet tip; 3) waxed dental floss. All groups used their assigned product once a day as adjunct to twice daily toothbrushing for two minutes with a standard ADA reference toothbrush. Professional instructions were given by a dental hygienist in 01 use or floss use according to written instructions. All subjects also received a toothbrush instruction leaflet (Bass technique). Subjects were assessed for both bleeding and plaque at baseline and after two weeks and four weeks and were instructed to brush their teeth approximately 2 to 3 hours prior to their assessment. RESULTS: With respect to mean bleeding scores the ANCOVA analysis with baseline as covariate and week 4 as dependent variable showed a significant difference between groups in favor of both the oral irrigator groups. For plaque, however, no significant difference among groups was observed. CONCLUSION: When combined with manual toothbrushing the daily use of an oral irrigator, either with prototype or standard jet tip, is significantly more effective in reducing gingival bleeding scores than is the use of dental floss, as determined within the limits of this 4-week study design.