A COMPARISON OF INTRAORAL ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF STABILIZED STANNOUS FLUORIDE DENTIFRICE, BAKING SODA PEROXIDE DENTIFRICE, CONVENTIONAL NAF DENTIFRICE AND ESSENTIAL OIL MOUTHRINSE/

The intraoral antimicrobial activity of four commercial oral products- conventional NaF dentifrice (Crest(R)). baking soda/peroxide/Naf denti frice (Mentadent(R)). essential oil mouthrinse (Listerine(R)) and SnF2 dentifrice (Crest(R) Plus Gum Care)-have been compared in three test regimens. Formulations were compared for their ability to suppress the regrowth and apical el;tension of dental plaque following toothbrushi ng during thirty hours of non-brushing where products were used as ora l rinses (30-hour plaque regrowth model). Formulations were also compa red for their ability to suppress the colony-forming units (cfu) of fa cultative anaerobic bacteria sampled from buccal gingival surfaces fol lowing use (Gingival Surface Microbial Index-GSMI model). Lastly, form ulations were compared for effects in suppressing the glycolytic metab olic activity and regrowth activity of in vivo-treated dental plaques sampled st various periods following topical use and incubated under c ontrolled es vivo conditions (Plaque Glycolysis and Regrowth-PGRM mode l). In thirty-hour plaque regrowth testing, the rank ordered antimicro bial efficacy of formulations followed SnF2 > essential oils > NaF = w ater = baking soda/peroxide. In GSMI testing, all formulations were sh own to suppress the cfu of facultative anaerobic bacteria relative to baseline. although SnF2 treatment was observed to reduce bacterial lev els to a significantly greater degree than NaF dentifrice or baking so da/peroxide dentifrice up to two hours following brushing. In PGRM tes ting. the SnF2 dentifrice provided significant inhibition of bacterial metabolism and regrowth following topical application when compared w ith the NaF dentifrice as control, The baking soda/peroxide dentifrice provided no reduction in either bacterial metabolism or regrowth in P GRM. Previous studies had demonstrated modest effects for essential oi l rinse in reducing PGRM plaque regrowth, with no effects for this tre atment on plaque metabolism. Overall. these results demonstrate that S nF2 dentifrice provides substantial intraoral antimicrobial effects. T he essential oil mouthrinse also exhibits significant intraoral antimi crobial effects, albeit apparently less than SnF2 dentifrice. The baki ng soda/peroxide dentifrice did not produce any antimicrobial effects Following in vivo use compared with conventional dentifrice. These res ults provide mechanistic rationale for the chemotherapeutic efficacy o f SnF2 and essential oil formulations in reducing gingivitis, while pr oviding no support for the expectation of clinical efficacy for formul ations containing baking soda and peroxide.