Effect of a toothpaste containing triclosan, cetylpyridinium chloride, and essential oils on gingival status in schoolchildren: A randomized clinical pilot study

Objective: This randomized double-blind in vivo pilot study has evaluated the effects of a toothpaste containing fluoride (control) versus toothpaste containing fluoride, triclosan, cetylpyridinium chloride and essential oils (experimental) in controlling supragingival dental plaque and bleeding on probing in a sample of healthy schoolchildren. Method and Materials: In total, 48 children (8 to 10 years) were selected and randomly divided into two groups (experimental and control), using the two different toothpastes twice a day for 2 minutes each for a 4-week period. The investigation included an evaluation of plaque quantity, using the Turesky modified Quigley-Hein method, and bleeding on probing that was recorded dichotomously. The unit of analysis was set at the gingival site level. Plaque Index and bleeding on probing were analyzed using distribution tables and chi-square test. A generalized estimating equation was used to estimate the parameters of a generalized linear model with a possible unknown correlation between outcomes. Results: In total, 40 schoolchildren completed the trial. Considering each group separately, a statistically significant difference in plaque scores was recorded for both treatments (z-test = 9.23, P .01 for the experimental toothpaste; and z-test = 7.47, P .01 for the control toothpaste). Nevertheless, the effect over time was higher for the experimental toothpaste than for the control one (3.38 vs 1.96). No statistically significant results were observed regarding bleeding on probing. Conclusion: The 4-week use of the experimental toothpaste seems to produce higher plaque reduction compared to fluoridated toothpaste without other antibacterial ingredients. This finding has to be confirmed in a larger study. Keywords: cetylpyridinium chloride, dental plaque, essential oils, gingival bleeding, toothpaste, triclosan