The efficacy of dentifrices on extrinsic tooth stains among community dwelling adults in India - A randomised controlled trial

Objective: To examine the effects of routine use of two dentifrices on tooth stain. Basic research design: Single centre, parallel design, double blind randomised clinical study with two treatment groups. Clinical setting: Department of Dental Public Health, SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Dharwad, Karnataka, India. Participants: 125 of the 140 study subjects aged 18-70 years completed the 8-week study period. Interventions: Subjects were randomly assigned to brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste (control) or a dentifrice formulated with silicas (test) and recalled for tooth stain examinations after 4 and 8 weeks of dentifrice use. Main outcome measures: Modified Lobene tooth stain index. Results: Whereas statistical analyses indicate no significant differences between the treatment groups for baseline scores of tooth stain intensity, stain area and tooth stain composite scores (p>0.53), examinations demonstrate significant reductions in stain area, intensity and stain composite scores amongst subjects assigned the test dentifrice at both recall visits versus the control (p<0.05). Conclusions: Routine use of the test dentifrice demonstrated significant removal of tooth stain among individuals recruited from the community.