On the morning of 10 October, Johnson & Johnson Ltd, the makers of Listerine hosted a press briefing at Ogilvy & Mather Sea Containers in London to provide an update on the efficacy of mouthwash use.
The event was chaired by Professor Iain Chapple, professor of periodontology and consultant in restorative dentistry, Birmingham UK, who explored why it is time to take gingivitis seriously, focusing on the human, economic and societal cost of periodontal disease.
Professional insights
Adding to Professor Chapple’s insight were presentations from:
- Professor Elena Figuero, full-professor in periodontology at the University Complutense of Madrid (Spain). She joined via video link to discuss the efficacy of adjunctive therapies in reducing plaque by means of a systematic review of randomised clinical trials. She said: ‘The overall idea that should be kept in mind is that higher biofilm reductions might be achieved when antiseptics are used as an adjunct to self-performed mechanical biofilm control procedures (toothbrushing or interdental devices) compared to these same mechanical procedures alone’
- Benjamin Tighe, a dental therapist in private practice and a tutor dental therapist at the Eastman Dental Hospital, who spoke about his experience of recommending mouthwash for plaque management purposes in practice
- Soha Dattani, a periodontist and head of professional at Johnson & Johnson, who shared the latest data from new Johnson & Johnson trials, which were peer reviewed and published in the American Journal of Dental Hygiene earlier this year.
This invaluable meeting served as the culmination of 12 months of activity for Johnson and Johnson Ltd, which involved both the National Advisory Panel and Hygienist Advisory Panel gatherings and their subsequent consensuses statements on mouthwash use, as well as the dissemination of new data revealing how to tackle interproximal plaque with essential oils-based Listerine.
Bringing all of these threads together for a full overview, the results from the peer reviewed studies were shared. The published results report that for patients who brush and floss, adding Listerine reduces interproximal plaque by 28.4% versus brushing and flossing alone.
And, for those who don’t floss, adjunctive use of Listerine reduced interproximal plaque above the gumline by 4.6x versus floss.
For further information, visit listerineprofessional.co.uk.
Frequently Asked Questions on the new research
What are the main conclusions from Listerine’s new research?
The peer reviewed clinical studies published this year in the American Journal of Dental Hygiene’ (2022), demonstrated that Listerine, when added to brushing and flossing reduces interproximal plaque by 28.4% when compared to brushing and flossing alone.
Additionally, Listerine was shown to achieve a 4.6x greater interproximal plaque reduction above the gumline versus flossing that was performed by a dental hygienist.
What was the methodology of the new research?
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health conducted two studies with 350+ subjects that were randomised, controlled, examiner-blind, parallel group clinical studies with supervision provided by a dental professional at an American Dental Association-qualified site.
Milleman and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of various oral hygiene regimens in the prevention and reduction of plaque above the gumline. Two hundred and thirteen subjects were examined for oral soft tissue tolerance and Modified Turesky Plaque Index (TPI) at baseline.
After a dental prophylaxis, subjects were randomly assigned to one of the following treatment regimens to use throughout the study:
- Brush only (control)
- Brush + rinse
- Brush + floss, or
- Brush + floss + rinse.
Supervision
Flossing instructions were given, and subjects demonstrated competency. Product use was supervised through video phone calls once daily on weekdays, with the second daily and weekend product uses unsupervised.
Subjects were examined at four and 12 weeks. Bosma and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of rinsing with Listerine and brushing versus dental flossing and brushing in the prevention and reduction of plaque above the gumline under once-daily supervision. Examinations included oral soft tissue assessment and Modified Turesky Plaque Index (TPI), at baseline, at week four and week 12.
This 12-week study randomised 156 subjects into four groups: brushing plus Listerine Cool Mint under supervision, brushing and flossing under supervision, brushing and flossing by a hygienist, and brushing plus hydroalcohol (5%) mouthwash under supervision.
All subjects were supervised once daily, Monday to Friday at the clinic. Second oral hygiene instances on weekdays, and twice daily oral hygiene instances on weekends at home were unsupervised and recorded in diaries.
Who conducted the research?
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health placed both these studies with Salus Research, Inc. in Fort Wayne, Indiana, US.
This is an internationally known clinical research team specialising in the independent evaluation of oral health care products. Both studies were subsequently peer reviewed and published in the American Journal of Dental Hygiene.
What does this mean for my patients?
It is widely accepted that the bacteria present in dental plaque are a major cause of caries and periodontal disease, and that prevention of these conditions requires removal of that plaque.
Whilst the standard recommendation is to brush the teeth and clean interdentally, evidence suggests that the adjunctive use of a mouthwash may provide benefits beyond mechanical cleaning alone.
For patients who brush and floss, adding Listerine reduces interproximal plaque by 28.4% versus brushing and flossing alone.
For patients who don’t floss, Listerine is shown to reduce interproximal plaque above the gumline by 4.6 times versus flossing.
References available on request.
