Baking soda, fluoride toothpaste effectively reduce plaque and gingivitis, Finds study

The prevention of dental caries and periodontal diseases targets the control of dental plaque biofilm. In this context, chemical agents could represent a valuable complement to mechanical plaque control by reducing and controlling biofilm formation. The daily removal of supragingival dental plaque is a key factor in the prevention of gingivitis.

Besides, baking soda has a long history and was one of the first abrasive agents to be used in commercial toothpaste. It is also one of the most multifunctional abrasives available today, with the ability to aid in caries prevention, anti-tartar activity, reduction in plaque, and so on.

Hence, Naresh C Sharma and colleagues from the BioSci Research Canada Ltd., Mississauga, Canada carried out the present study to compare the effectiveness in reducing plaque and gingivitis of fluoride toothpaste with 20% baking soda and a fluoride toothpaste control.

A total of 159 subjects, who met the entry criteria, participated in this single-center, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group clinical study. Gingival Index (MGI), Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI), and Plaque Index (PI) were assessed after 4, 8, and 12 weeks use of the assigned test or control toothpaste. After 12 weeks, participants resumed 4 weeks of their customary oral hygiene after which they were re-evaluated using the same measures.

The results were-

a. Both kinds of toothpaste statistically significantly reduced MGI, GBI, and PI versus baseline at all-time points.

b. Brushing with the 20% baking soda toothpaste statistically significantly reduced MGI, PI, and GBI compared to the control toothpaste at all time points.

c. After 12 weeks, the reductions in MGI, PI, and GBI were 12.6%, 9.6%, and 44.2%, respectively.

d. After the 4-week customary oral hygiene period, the benefits of the study period had begun to diminish, but statistically significant reductions in MGI and GBI for the test versus control were still evident.

Therefore, it was noted that this 3-month clinical study showed that brushing with fluoride toothpaste containing 20% baking soda reduces dental plaque and concurrently reduces gingival inflammation and bleeding compared to toothpaste with fluoride alone, describes Sharma.

The authors therefore concluded that "fluoride toothpaste with 20% baking soda has the potential to offer multiple oral health benefits when used as an adjunct to regular tooth brushing and, therefore, may be confidently recommended to patients."