Gordon JM et al. (1985)

EFFICACY OF LISTERINE® ANTISEPTIC IN INHIBITING THE DEVELOPMENT OF PLAQUE AND GINGIVITIS¹

Objective

To determine the efficacy of LISTERINE^® Antiseptic in inhibiting the development of plaque and gingivitis.

Methods

This was a 9-month, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial in which 85 adult subjects completed all phases of the study. Subjects received 3 complete professional dental prophylaxes at weekly intervals and an additional rubber-cup polishing at the outset of the study to maximize initial gingival health and reduce plaque to zero. Subjects rinsed with 20 ml of LISTERINE^® Antiseptic, a vehicle control, or a water control for 30 seconds twice daily, in addition to their usual oral hygiene. During the first 6 months, rinsing was supervised on weekdays; rinsing was unsupervised during the final 3 months. Subjects were periodically given a nontherapeutic, low-abrasive dentifrice and soft nylon toothbrushes, and were asked not to use any mouthrinses that were not provided for the study.

Results

LISTERINE^® Antiseptic group had significantly lower plaque scores than in the vehicle control group by 18.6% and 13.8%, respectively, at 6 and 9 months. Although there was virtually no change in gingivitis in the control group over the 9-month period following the multiple prophylaxes, gingivitis in the LISTERINE^® Antiseptic group was reduced significantly by 22.1% compared with the vehicle control group at the conclusion of the 9-month study.