Breath effects of three marketed dentifrices: a comparative study evaluating single and cumulative use

This randomized and controlled, examiner blind, parallel group study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of three commercial dentifrices on breath malodor. A total of 384 healthy adult subjects with oral malodor were randomized to one of four brushing groups, using either an antimicrobial dentifrice containing 0.45% stannous fluoride, an antitartar dentifrice containing 0.243% sodium fluoride and 5% pyrophosphate, an antimicrobial dentifrice containing 0.24% sodium fluoride and 0.30% triclosan/copolymer, or bottled distilled water which served as the negative experimental control. Breath quality was evaluated over a five-day period by second-person organoleptic grading and measurement of volatile sulfur levels. Following treatment, adjusted mean organoleptic scores and volatile sulfur levels were lowest for the stannous fluoride dentifrice group, with this group exhibiting superior breath quality compared to the negative control at three hours after a single brushing, and again at all cumulative use time points. While all test dentifrices showed some activity, only stannous fluoride had a second-person breath benefit. Breath effects for the other two dentifrices were limited to reductions in volatile sulfur levels at hours 99 and 104 for the antitartar sodium fluoride pyrophosphate dentifrice, and at hour 99 only for the antimicrobial sodium fluoride triclosan/copolymer dentifrice. This research establishes the comparative breath efficacy of three commercial dentifrices in a study model that may prove relevant for other dentifrice clinical trials.