A Clinical Evaluation of an S 30 Dentifrice on Periodontal Disease using the Double Blind Method

Abstract

The clinical effect of an S 30 dentifrice, containing a hypertonic salt, on simple gingivitis and marginal periodontitis was examined, using the double blind method, with an inactive placebo as the control. The S 30 dentifrice contains 30% sodium chloride, 0.05% isopropyl methylphenol, 0.01% thymol and 0.1% clove oil in a toothpaste base. Using the Scrubbing or Bass method, tooth brushing was performed by all the patients three times a day for 4 weeks.
The clinical effect of the S 30 dentifrice was assessed using the Mann-Whitney U-test based on the reduction ratio of the total scores of the indices to 4 clinical assessments (gingival redness, swelling, bleeding and pus-discharge) and the total number of the clinical conditions to 9 clinical assessments (plaque, calculus, redness, swelling, pocket depth, bleeding, pus-discharge, mobility and halitosis) respectively in an initial examination before using the S30 dentifrice was initiated and at the end of every weeks thereafter for the entire 4 weeks of the evaluation.
The results were as follows:
1. Simple gingivitis showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.01 and/or P<0.05), in the reduction ratio between the S 30 dentifrice and the placebo on the total scores and number of both the 4 clinical assessments after 2 and 3 weeks and the 9 clinical assessments after 1, 2 and 3 weeks, respectively.
2. Marginal periodontitis showed no significant difference in the reduction ratio between the S 30 dentifrice and the placebo on the total scores of the 4 clinical assessments: however, after 3 weeks, showed a significant difference (P<0.05), on the total number of the 9 clinical assessments.
3. Periodontal disease (gingivitis and periodontitis) showed a significant difference (P<0.01 and/or P<0.05), in the reduction ratio between the S 30 dentifrice and placebo on the total scores of the 4 clinical assessments after 3 weeks, and on the total number of the 4 clinical assessments after 1, 2 and 3 weeks, and on the total scores of the 9 clinical assessments after 2 and 3 weeks and on the total number of the 9 clinical assessments after 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks, respectively.
4. The side effects were slight in 3 patients using the S 30 dentifrice and in 1 patient using the placebo.