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A six-week controlled double-blind clinical study was conducted to assess and to measure the efficacy of a sugar-free chewing gum containing sodium tripolyphosphate (1%) on dental stain occurrence versus a placebo sugar-free chewing gum.One-hundred and eleven subjects who had a Lobene Modified Index for stain extent score between 0.33 and 1.5 in their frontal teeth joined this study. Each subject entered in the test or the control group using a random table which allowed for an equal distribution of smokers and habitual tea users. Participants agreed to chew two gums (two grams each) three times per day, after meals, for ten minutes over six weeks. All received the same dentifrice containing only fluoride as the active agent. After six weeks, participants were scored for dental stain with the Lobene Modified Index. Data were scored by the same blinded operator for all measurements. Comparisons between the groups with respect to baseline scores were performed using an unpaired t-test, and inside the groups with a paired t-test (alpha = 0.05).One-hundred and eight subjects completed the trial; three left, but none reported problems linked to sodium tripolyphosphate. The mean difference for stain extent index after the six-week trial was 0.04 (+/- 0.08) in the control group, and -0.05 (+/- 0.08) in the test group (p0.001). A statistically significant reduction was also reported for intensity and composite indexes. The initial mean for stain extent index in the test group was 0.8 (+/- 0.34), and at six weeks was 0.74 (+/- 0.33; p0.001). The initial mean for extent index in the control group was 0.78 (+/- 0.3), and at six weeks was 0.81 (+/- 0.32; p0.005).This trial showed a reduction in dental stain by a chewing gum containing sodium tripolyphosphate after six weeks.

A controlled, clinical, double-blind study was conducted to assess the efficacy of sugar-free tablets containing zinc lactate and magnolia bark extract (MBE) on oral volatile sulfur-containing compounds (VSC) versus placebo tablets for two hours.In order to join the study, subjects had to have at least 24 teeth, no report of oral and systemic diseases, and no removable dentures. All 128 eligible participants had to avoid any professional oral hygiene, refrain from taking medicines for two weeks, be not menstruating, and not brush their teeth and tongue, smoke, drink alcohol, coffee or tea, eat onion, garlic, or licorice for a six-hour period before the visit and during the test. Moreover, to join the protocol, they had to show a VSC score of ≥ 75 ppb at the baseline measurement. Each qualified subject was placed in the test or the control group using a table of random numbers. The test tablet (0.7 g) contained 0.17 mg of zinc, in the form of zinc lactate, and 0.84 mg magnolia bark extract; the control tablet was identical, but without these active agents. The OralChroma2 device was utilized to evaluate total oral VSC. Their levels were recorded at baseline, after eight minutes of sucking two tablets in succession, after one hour, and after two hours. Data were analyzed with SPSS software and the level of significance was set at α = 0.05.One hundred subjects completed the trial (50 in the control group and 50 in the test group); 52 men and 48 women, mean age 38. None reported problems linked to zinc lactate or magnolia bark extract. The mean percentage reduction from baseline at the end of eight minutes of tablet sucking was 39% in the control group (p0.001) and 62% in the test group (p0.001); one hour later it was 6% in the control group and 30% in the test group (p0.001), and two hours later it was 2% in the control group and 18% in the test group (p0.001). The comparisons between the two groups after baseline adjustment showed a statistically significant difference in reductions of VSC between the test and the control tablets at the end of the sucking period (p0.01), after one hour (p0.001), and after two hours (p0.05).Tablets containing zinc lactate and magnolia bark extract can statistically significantly reduce the oral VSC levels for over two hours and were statistically significantly more effective than a control tablet.