The purpose of this study was to evaluate the plaque removal effect of a dentifrice containing granulated zeolite. Fifteen volunteers, who were nurses, dental hygienists and dentists between the ages of 21 and 42 years participated in the experiments. Following professional toothbrushing, the subjects refrained from toothbrushing for 3 days. Then daily professional toothbrushing was performed by trained dental hygienists with the experimental dentifrice for 5 days. No oral hygiene procedure was performed for 3 days after the first clinical trial. The second trial with the control dentifrice was done for 5 days. During each trial, the subjects stopped all personal oral hygiene procedures. The plaque removal effect was evaluated using plaque scores before and after toothbrushing. At 24 and 72 hours after toothbrushing, the inhibitory effect on plaque formation was calculated. The results showed that the experimental dentifrice was significantly more effective in removing plaque on the lingual surfaces and gingival margins and the interproximal gingival margins of the teeth than the control dentifrice. Significant difference was also found between the two dentifrices in removing plaque in pits on the occlusal surfaces. There was no significant difference in the inhibitory effect of the two dentifrices on plaque formation. This suggests that the dentifrice containing granulated zeolite improved the effect of toothbrushing. A questionnaire survey indicated that many subjects preferred the dentifrice containing granulated zeolite. No clinical side effects were observed in the two dentifrices.
