A 12-week clinical study assessing the clinical effects on plaque metabolism of a dentifrice containing 1.5% arginine, an insoluble calcium compound and 1,450 ppm fluoride.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical effect on plaque metabolism of a dentifrice containing 1.5% arginine, an insoluble calcium compound and 1,450 ppm fluoride compared to a commercially available dentifrice containing 1,450 ppm fluoride in a silica base. Methods: A 12-week, parallel, randomized, double-blind study using 48 subjects was conducted at the Colgate-Palmolive Technology Center (Piscataway, NJ, USA). One group used a test dentifrice containing 1.5% arginine, an insoluble calcium compound and 1,450 ppm fluoride as sodium monofluorophosphate (MF'P), and the other group used a commercial silica dentifrice with 1,450 ppm fluoride as sodium fluoride (NaF) as a control. Plaque metabolism analyses were conducted at baseline and after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks of assigned product use. The plaque analyses included pH measurements before and after a sucrose rinse, ammonia production and lactic acid production. Results: Subjects using the test dentifrice had significantly higher plaque pH values before (P <= 0.01) and after (P <= 0.045) a sucrose challenge than those using the commercially available control dentifrice. Subjects using the test dentifrice also produced higher levels of ammonia and lower levels of lactic acid compared to subjects using the control dentifrice.