Clinical efficacy of a new tooth and tongue gel applied with a tongue cleaner in reducing oral halitosis.

OBJECTIVE

The short-term and overnight effect of three treatment regimens on oral halitosis were investigated: toothbrushing with a reference toothpaste, toothbrushing with reference toothpaste and tongue cleaning, and toothbrushing and tongue cleaning with a tooth-and-tongue gel.

METHOD AND MATERIALS: Fifty-four subjects meeting the inclusion criteria for bad breath were enrolled in the study. All subjects received each of the three treatment regimens in a balanced design. Efficacy was assessed by organoleptic ratings and volatile sulfur compound (VSC) measurements 5 and 60 minutes after first application and overnight after 7 days of repeated use.

RESULTS

The combination of toothbrushing and tongue cleaning with tooth-and-tongue gel provided the best results in terms of organoleptic ratings and VSC measurements at all time points compared to the other treatment regimens.

CONCLUSION

The use of tooth and tongue gel for both toothbrushing and tongue cleaning showed a positive short-term and overnight effects after 7 days of use. This treatment regimen is a promising approach to control halitosis.