Clinical effect of a dentifrice containing three kinds of bactericidal ingredients on periodontal disease: a pilot study in patients undergoing supportive periodontal therapy

Objective This study aimed to evaluate clinically the effect of a novel dentifrice containing three kinds of bactericidal ingredients on periodontal disease. Results This was a single-arm, prospective clinical study that enrolled patients with periodontitis undergoing supportive periodontal therapy. Periodontal examination, microbiological testing of saliva samples, and evaluation of inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α) in gingival crevicular fluid were performed. After 4 weeks of the use of test dentifrice, these parameters were re-evaluated. The use of dentifrice was also subjectively evaluated by clinicians and participants. Among 30 participants, there were significant improvements in the periodontal and microbiological parameters, and the level of interleukin-1β in the gingival crevicular fluid, following the use of the test dentifrice. In clinicians’ subjective evaluation of the overall usefulness of the dentifrice, ‘mild’ and ‘moderate’ improvement accounted for 83% of the total responses. In the participants’ subjective evaluation, the majority indicated their experience of the use as favorable. Within the limitations of this study, it is suggested that the progression of periodontal disease during the supportive periodontal therapy can be prevented by the use of the test dentifrice. Trial registration UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) 000023175. Date of formal registration: July 14, 2016 (https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000026716)