Effectiveness of mechanical tongue cleaning on oral levels of volatile sulfur compounds

Background. Mechanical tongue cleaning may be an effective method for decre asing oral levels of volatile sulfur compounds, or VSC, and oral malodor. T he authors conducted a study to compare the, effectiveness of a specially d esigned tongue cleaner (One Drop Only Tongue Cleaner, One Drop Only, Berlin ), a tongue scraper and a toothbrush in reducing oral VSC level. Methods. In this balanced, crossover study, 30 subjects had four morning ap pointments each with a waiting period of one week between appointments. At each appointment, a dental professional performed a single standardized ton gue cleaning procedure using one of the cleaning tools. The authors monitor ed the subjects' oral VSC values using a portable sulfide monitor until the ir baseline VSC Values were reached. Results. The baseline values showed no significant difference between the t hree groups. The tongue cleaner and the tongue scraper (42 percent and 40 p ercent, respectively) reduced oral VSC levels more than the toothbrush (33 percent) did. Reduced VSC values could be detected significantly longer aft er using the, tongue cleaner than after using the tongue scraper or the too th brush. The authors however, could-not detect a significant VSC reduction for more than 30 minutes in any of the subjects. Conclusions and Clinical Implications. The tongue cleaner, a, combination b rush and scraper, was slightly more effective in reducing oral VSC levels t han were-the tongue scraper and a regular toothbrush. Because of the limite d duration of the effect, however, the clinical efficacy on the reduction o f oral malodor remains questionable.