The toothpastes tested in this study were KidScents™ (Young Living Essential Oils, Lehi, UT, USA), Browning B&B™ (Boryung Medience Co Ltd, Seoul, South Korea) and Wysong Probiodent™ (Wysong Corporation, Midland, MI, USA). These toothpastes were selected on the basis of their wide distribution and affordability. The composition of KidScents™ includes calcium carbonate, deionised water, colloidal silver, strawberry aroma, peppermint essential oil (Mentha piperita), vegetable glycerin, zinc oxide, xanthan gum, ionic minerals, xylitol, spearmint essential oil (Mentha spicata), clove essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum), lemon oil (Citrus limon), orange essential oil (Citrus aurantium) and Thieves™ essential oil. Browning B&B™ toothpaste contains poloxamer 407, dimethicone, xylitol and natural plant extracts. Wysong Probiodent™ toothpaste includes desiccated sea plankton, trona mineral salts, calcium lactate, birch bark extract, aloe vera, peppermint, potassium citrate, probiotic cultures (Streptococcus salivarius, Lactobacillus salivarius, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactococcus plantarum), apple polyphenols, enzymes (amylase, protease and cellulase) and isolated milk proteins.
The study group was formed of twenty healthy volunteers (dental students) with a good oral health status, a minimum of 24 examinable permanent teeth, no evidence of gingivitis or periodontitis (Community Periodontal Index score= 0), and no active caries. The exclusion criteria applied were the following: smoking, dental prosthesis or orthodontic devices, administration of antibiotics or routine use of oral antiseptics in the previous three months and the presence of any systemic disease that could alter the production or composition of the saliva or dental plaque. Tartrectomy was performed on all volunteers before starting the study.
The experiments were started at 9 a.m. and participants were requested not to use any type of toothpaste or mouthwash for 12 hours before the study in order to avoid any possible residual effect of the oral hygiene product that they usually used. By random selection, the volunteers performed toothbrushing with 10 ml of sterile water (positive control), 0.4 ml of KidScents™ toothpaste, 0.4 ml Browning B&B™ toothpaste, or 0.4 ml of Wysong Probiodent™ toothpaste obtained by dissolving 0.7 g of powder in 1 ml of water. After applying sterile water or the selected toothpaste, participants performed toothbrushing for two minutes using a conventional technique, attempting to clean all the tooth surfaces, tongue and mucosas, without wetting the toothbrush in water (except when performing the positive control with sterile water). Without rinsing the toothbrush in water, participants were then given an erythrosine tablet (Plac control®, Dentaid, Barcelona, Spain), which they chewed following the manufacturer’s instructions in order to highlight residual plaque. Using the residual toothpaste on the toothbrush or, in the case of brushing with water, after wetting the toothbrush in water, participants then continued the toothbrushing activity until complete disappearance of the stained dental plaque.
Five minutes after completing toothbrushing, samples of 1 ml of unstimulated saliva were collected using the spitting method (5 (link)). To evaluate the antibacterial activity of the toothpastes tested, we analysed the vitality of salivary bacteria using epifluorescence microscopy with the LIVE/DEAD® BacLight™ fluorescence solution (Molecular Probes, Leiden, The Netherlands). This technique has been described in detail and its efficacy has been demonstrated previously (6 (link)).
After completing toothbrushing, the participants did not perform any oral hygiene procedure, did not chew gum, did not eat apples or other foods that favour plaque removal and did not drink alcohol for a period of 24 hours in order not to alter dental plaque regrowth. The antiplaque activity of the products was then evaluated by determining the level of newly formed plaque, quantified by visual inspection of erythrosine-stained plaque at six sites per tooth, using the Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein plaque index (7 (link),8 (link)), with a scale from 0 (no plaque) to 5 (plaque covering more than two thirds of the tooth surface).
Using a balanced randomisation system, all volunteers performed toothbrushing with the four products (the three edible tooth-pastes and water) at intervals of one week, during which the participants only used their usual toothpaste and toothbrush.
The statistical analysis was performed with the R software environment (R Development Core Team, 2011, Vienna, Austria). Repeated measure ANOVA was used for inter-toothbrushing comparisons between water and each edible toothpaste and between different toothpastes for each outcome variable (bacterial vitality and the plaque index). Statistical significance was taken as a P value less than 0.05.
This project was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Medicine and Dentistry of Santiago de Compostela University. The study was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained in writing from all participants in the study.
The study group was formed of twenty healthy volunteers (dental students) with a good oral health status, a minimum of 24 examinable permanent teeth, no evidence of gingivitis or periodontitis (Community Periodontal Index score= 0), and no active caries. The exclusion criteria applied were the following: smoking, dental prosthesis or orthodontic devices, administration of antibiotics or routine use of oral antiseptics in the previous three months and the presence of any systemic disease that could alter the production or composition of the saliva or dental plaque. Tartrectomy was performed on all volunteers before starting the study.
The experiments were started at 9 a.m. and participants were requested not to use any type of toothpaste or mouthwash for 12 hours before the study in order to avoid any possible residual effect of the oral hygiene product that they usually used. By random selection, the volunteers performed toothbrushing with 10 ml of sterile water (positive control), 0.4 ml of KidScents™ toothpaste, 0.4 ml Browning B&B™ toothpaste, or 0.4 ml of Wysong Probiodent™ toothpaste obtained by dissolving 0.7 g of powder in 1 ml of water. After applying sterile water or the selected toothpaste, participants performed toothbrushing for two minutes using a conventional technique, attempting to clean all the tooth surfaces, tongue and mucosas, without wetting the toothbrush in water (except when performing the positive control with sterile water). Without rinsing the toothbrush in water, participants were then given an erythrosine tablet (Plac control®, Dentaid, Barcelona, Spain), which they chewed following the manufacturer’s instructions in order to highlight residual plaque. Using the residual toothpaste on the toothbrush or, in the case of brushing with water, after wetting the toothbrush in water, participants then continued the toothbrushing activity until complete disappearance of the stained dental plaque.
Five minutes after completing toothbrushing, samples of 1 ml of unstimulated saliva were collected using the spitting method (5 (link)). To evaluate the antibacterial activity of the toothpastes tested, we analysed the vitality of salivary bacteria using epifluorescence microscopy with the LIVE/DEAD® BacLight™ fluorescence solution (Molecular Probes, Leiden, The Netherlands). This technique has been described in detail and its efficacy has been demonstrated previously (6 (link)).
After completing toothbrushing, the participants did not perform any oral hygiene procedure, did not chew gum, did not eat apples or other foods that favour plaque removal and did not drink alcohol for a period of 24 hours in order not to alter dental plaque regrowth. The antiplaque activity of the products was then evaluated by determining the level of newly formed plaque, quantified by visual inspection of erythrosine-stained plaque at six sites per tooth, using the Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein plaque index (7 (link),8 (link)), with a scale from 0 (no plaque) to 5 (plaque covering more than two thirds of the tooth surface).
Using a balanced randomisation system, all volunteers performed toothbrushing with the four products (the three edible tooth-pastes and water) at intervals of one week, during which the participants only used their usual toothpaste and toothbrush.
The statistical analysis was performed with the R software environment (R Development Core Team, 2011, Vienna, Austria). Repeated measure ANOVA was used for inter-toothbrushing comparisons between water and each edible toothpaste and between different toothpastes for each outcome variable (bacterial vitality and the plaque index). Statistical significance was taken as a P value less than 0.05.
This project was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Medicine and Dentistry of Santiago de Compostela University. The study was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained in writing from all participants in the study.
Free full text: Click here
