Clinical and microbiological effects of a sanguinaria-containing mouthrinse and dentifrice with and without fluoride during 6 months of use.

The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy and safety of sanguinaria-containing regimens with and without fluoride using the American Dental Association guidelines for evaluating chemotherapeutic agents. The study was a 6-month, double-blind, 4-cell, placebo-controlled, parallel investigation involving 120 subjects. Following screening procedures, subjects were randomly assigned to 4 groups. Group 1 received a dentifrice containing 0.075% sanguinaria extract (SaE) and 2.0% zinc chloride (ZnCl2) in a dicalcium phosphate base, plus an oral rinse containing 0.03% SaE and 0.2% ZnCl2. Group 2 received identical products without SaE or ZnCl2. Group 3 received a dentifrice containing 0.8% sodium monofluorophosphate, 0.075% SaE, and 0.05% ZnCl2 in a silica base, plus an oral rinse containing 0.03% SaE and 0.2% ZnCl2. Group 4 products were identical to those of Group 3 but without SaE and ZnCl2. Supragingival plaque and gingival inflammation were scored at 0, 1, 2, 1.5, 3, 4.5, and 6 months; bleeding upon probing was measured at 1, 1.5, 3, and 6 months. Microbiological samples were taken from plaque, tongue, and cheek areas. The active products produced statistically significantly lower scores than the placebo agents for all indices (P less than .0001). Six-month plaque scores were 13.1% lower for Group 1 and 17.4% lower for Group 3 compared to placebo products. When the Plaque Severity Index was applied, the percentage reductions were 33% for Group 1 and 41% for Group 3 compared to placebos. Gingival inflammation scores were 16.7% lower for Group 1 and 18.1% lower for Group 3 at 6 months compared to placebo scores.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)