Aim: The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of different use of amine and stannous fluoride (AmF/SnF2)- containing toothpaste with and without a mouthrinse (Meridol®) on plaque accumulation and gingival health after four weeks' use in patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances.
Methods: Plaque accumulation and periodontal variables were recorded in 40 volunteers (mean age: 20.1±5.6 years), who were randomly divided into two groups. They refrained from oral hygiene two days before each assessment. The test group brushed with AmF/SnF2 toothpaste twice daily for three minutes and rinsed with an AmF/SnF2 mouthrinse for 30 seconds. The control group used only the AmF/SnF2 toothpaste twice daily, toothbrushing for three minutes.
Results: Baseline values for plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were 2.21±0.52 and 1.98±0.58 (mean±SD) in the test group, 2.29±0.42 and 2.02±0.44 in the control group. After four weeks, PI and GI were 1.32±0.42 and 0.93±0.59 in the test group, and 1.27±0.52 and 1.09±0.51 in the control group, respectively. Bleeding on probing at baseline was 40% in the test group and 37.5% for the controls; at the final evaluation, these values were 10.1% and 12.7%, respectively. All of the indices were reduced significantly in both groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Based on the findings of this pilot study, it is suggested that the use of AmF/SnF2-containing products resulted in beneficial clinical effects on plaque accumulation and gingival health after placement of fixed orthodontic appliances. These beneficial effects may be more pronounced after long-term and combined use of these products. A six-month duration study with a larger sample of participants is needed to confirm the promising results from this pilot.