CAN USING A MOUTHRINSE HELP PREVENT AND TREAT GUM DISEASE?
The Answer Is Yes. And Here’s The Proof.
A KEY ANALYSIS CONCLUSIVELY DEMONSTRATES THE BENEFITS OF RINSING IN THE FIGHT AGAINST GINGIVITIS.
Oral disease has truly become a global burden. In fact, you may be astonished to learn that chronic gingivitis affects over 90% of the world’s population to some degree. And it’s prevalent at all ages.1 In addition, severe periodontitis is now the 6th-most–prevalent oral disease in the world,2 affecting between 5-20% of all adults.3
Severe periodontitis is the 6th-most prevalent oral disease worldwide2
Clearly, even with the great strides made in oral healthcare over the years, there is still a great need for vigilance when caring for patients with or at risk for periodontal disease. That’s why the LISTERINE® Brand has continually innovated oral healthcare products to address this major issue. In fact, a recent study and analysis has conclusively shown that adding a rinse like LISTERINE® Antiseptic to a regimen of brushing and flossing is a key component to making this step change happen.
So where’s the proof?
One of the biggest reasons you can feel confident recommending LISTERINE® products to your patients, is the robust clinical evidence behind them.
A key 6-month study, “Adjunctive benefit of an essential oil-containing mouthrinse in reducing plaque and gingivitis in patients who brush and floss regularly” (Sharma et al),4 set out to determine the incremental benefit of the adjunctive use of LISTERINE® Antiseptic to a brushing and flossing routine, in inhibiting both whole-mouth plaque and gingivitis.4
This controlled, observer-blind, parallel-group clinical study of subjects with mild-to–moderate gingivitis randomized subjects into one of 3 groups: Brushing + Hydroalcohol (5%) Control Rinse (BC); Brushing + Flossing + Control (BFC); and Brushing + Flossing + LISTERINE® Antiseptic (BFEO). The study produced conclusive results:
Whole-mouth mean Plaque Index score at 6 months: BFEO rinse group experienced 56.3% reduction vs BC4
Whole-mouth mean Modified Gingival Index (MGI) score at 6 months: BFEO rinse group experienced 29.9% reduction vs BC4
Clearly, this long-term study demonstrated conclusively that using LISTERINE® Antiseptic mouthrinse twice daily significantly improves the benefits of a recommended regimen of brushing and flossing. For more information on the study, click here.
The post hoc SITE-WISE® ANALYSIS.
This conclusive Sharma et al 2004 study4 was followed up by a post hoc analysis, also called the SITE-WISE ANALYSIS®.5 The objective of SITE-WISE ANALYSIS® was to evaluate the combined effectiveness of mechanical methods with essential oil-containing mouthrinse, such as LISTERINE® Antiseptic, vs mechanical methods alone, in achieving site-specific, healthy gingival tissue.5
The SITE-WISE® ANALYSIS scored a maximum of 108 sites per subject for gingival health (28 teeth x 4 surfaces/tooth), using the Modified Gingival Index (MGI)—a visual, noninvasive scoring index to measure gingivitis.5
Sites were analyzed from 237 healthy subjects, each with mild-to–moderate gingivitis, who were followed for 6 months by Sharma et al.4 The mean percentage of healthy sites was calculated by taking numbers of sites with MGI scores of 0 or 1, divided by total number of sites (maximum number of sites was 108).5
Maxillary Marginal6
Maxillary Proximal6
Mandibular Marginal6
Mandibular Proximal6
The results of the post hoc SITE-WISE ANALYSIS® of the Sharma et al study data were as impressive as they were conclusive—not only confirming the benefits of adding rinse to an oral health regimen, but also showing that LISTERINE® Antiseptic provides twice as many healthy gingival sites compared to brushing and flossing alone.5‡
With such strong evidence reinforcing the essentiality of rinsing in a daily oral care routine in the prevention and reduction of gingivitis, you can feel supremely confident when recommending LISTERINE® products to your patients. What’s more, these results confirm that improving oral health on a global scale is more than just possible, it’s achievable. And it all starts with you and your recommendation.
We hope you found this article of value.
*Healthy=MGI scores of 0 or 1 at 6 months.
†Plus placebo negative control rinse.
‡After 6 months of daily use.
References:
1.Coventry J, Griffiths G, Scully C, Tonetti M. Periodontal disease. BMJ. 2000;321(7252):36-39.
2. Marcenes W, Kassebaum NJ, Bernabé E, et al. Global burden of oral conditions in 1990-2010: a systematic analysis. J Dent Res. 2013;92(7):592-597.
3. BPetersen PE, Bourgeois D, Ogawa H, et al. The global burden of oral diseases and risks to oral health. Bull World Health Organ. 2005;83(9):661-669.
4. Sharma N, Charles CH, Lynch MC, et al. Adjunctive benefit of an essential oil-containing mouthrinse in reducing plaque and gingivitis in patients who brush and floss regularly: a six-month study. J Am Dent Assoc. 2004;135:496-504.
5. Data on file, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.
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