Evaluation of a stabilized stannous fluoride dentifrice on dental plaque and gingivitis in a randomized controlled trial with 6-month follow-up.

Background: The objective of this study was to compare a stannous fluoride (SnF) dentifrice (Colgate Total) stabilized with zinc phosphate with a sodium fluoride control dentifrice for gingivitis and plaque control over a 6-month period.

Methods: One hundred adult participants were enrolled in this study conducted in Chengdu, China. After random assignment and blinding of examiners and patients, enrolled participants received instructions for use of the assigned dentifrice. At 3 visits (baseline and 3 and 6 months), the authors measured various gingival and plaque indexes to determine the clinical efficacy of the stabilized SnF dentifrice compared with those of the control fluoride dentifrice (2 groups).

Results: Ninety-eight participants completed the study. Both groups (test and control) had statistically significant reductions in gingival inflammation and improvement in plaque control at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups. In addition, the test dentifrice showed statistically significant reductions in all indexes compared with the control dentifrice (P < .001).

Conclusions: This study's results show statistically significantly improved clinical outcomes for reduction of gingival inflammation and improvement in biofilm control over a 6-month period through the use of a SnF dentifrice stabilized with zinc phosphate when compared with results with a fluoride control dentifrice.

Practical Implications: This newly formulated dentifrice improves gingival health and plaque control and thereby may aid patients in attaining improved oral health.