Effect of acid neutralizer toothpaste on salivary pH in a group of Egyptian children: A randomized controlled pilot study

Aim or purpose: Dental caries is a preventable disease that affects the quality of life and overall health. Cariogenic carbohydrates are the main cause. Proper toothbrushing with toothpaste helps in caries prevention. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of acid neutralizer toothpaste and regular toothpaste on salivary pH in a group of Egyptian children.Materials and methods: Twenty children with mixed dentition were randomly allocated either to the control or test group. Saliva samples were collected from each child for baseline pH measurement using pH meter. Children were instructed to drink 200ml of juice and saliva samples were collected. They brushed their teeth with either Colgate maximum cavity protection with sugar acid neutralizer toothpaste® (test group) or the Colgate total toothpaste® (control group) then saliva samples were collected again. The results were tabulated and statistically analyzed.Results: For both groups, there was a drop in pH levels after drinking juice. The mean pH value dropped from 6.90±0.29 to 6.78±0.43 for the test group and from 7.01±0.38 to 6.88±0.59 for the control group. After brushing, the mean pH values elevated for both groups. The mean pH for the test and control groups was 7.24±0.28 and 7.26±0.30 respectively after brushing. There was a statistically significant difference between the pH levels within each group before and after brushing. However, there was no statistically significant difference between both groups.Conclusion: Toothbrushing after drinking juice results in elevation of the pH level which may be helpful in reducing dental caries.