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Randomised clinical efficacy trial of potassium oxalate mouthrinse in relieving dentinal sensitivity
Deepak Sharma1, James A McGuire, John T Gallob
1Oral Care Research and Development, Johnson & Johnson Consumer & Personal Products Worldwide, Skillman, NJ, USA. DSharma6@its.jnj.com
Objective:
The study aimed to determine the efficacy in relieving dentinal sensitivity of 4 weeks' treatment with an alcohol-free mouthrinse comprising 1.4% potassium oxalate (KO) (Listerine® Advanced Defence Sensitive; LADS), compared with negative and positive controls.
Methods:
Subjects were randomised to one of three treatments: LADS mouthrinse - twice-daily toothbrushing with Crest® Cavity Protection Regular toothpaste, rinsing with water and then 10 mL LADS mouthrinse, followed by expectoration; negative control (twice-daily brushing with Crest Cavity Protection Regular toothpaste); or positive control (twice-daily brushing with Sensodyne® Original desensitising toothpaste). Dentine sensitivity was assessed at baseline and after 2 and 4 weeks by Yeaple probe (tactile pressure; patient-reported discomfort by visual analogue scale [VAS]), air blast (VAS) and global subjective sensitivity (VAS). Oral tolerance was monitored throughout the study.
Results:
At 2 weeks, subjects treated with the positive control and LADS mouthrinse showed significant reductions (p<0.05) in sensitivity scores versus the negative control. At 4 weeks, sensitivity decreased by 110% in the positive-control subjects versus negative-control subjects (p<0.001); sensitivity decreased by 80% in subjects receiving LADS mouthrinse versus negative-control subjects (p<0.05). No serious treatment-related oral adverse events were reported.
Conclusions:
The positive control (Sensodyne Original) significantly reduced sensitivity compared with the negative control (Crest toothpaste alone), thus validating the study. The LADS mouthrinse (1.4% KO mouthrinse) significantly reduced sensitivity compared with the negative control, suggesting that LADS mouthrinse was responsible for the clinical effect observed. The treatments were well tolerated.
Clinical Significance:
To our knowledge, this is the first randomised clinical study to demonstrate the efficacy of a KO-containing mouthrinse (LADS) in relieving dentinal sensitivity.
