Direct plaque removal by a pre-brushing dental rinse.

A study was conducted to evaluate the ability of a dental rinse to remove dental plaque. The hypothesis was tested that plaque, as a complex soil comprising microorganisms, cell debris, salivary deposits and other ill-defined organic and inorganic components, would be susceptible to removal by a rinse with high detersive action. A rinse was prepared based on the principles applied to formulation of products for cleansing biologic surfaces, including anionic and nonionic surfactants, sodium benzoate, and auxiliary cleansing agents. Subjects randomly selected from a dental clinic population were scored for plaque area on the lingual and buccal surfaces of the Ramfjord teeth using the Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein Index. The subjects then rinsed 30 seconds with 15 ml of product, and stainable plaque area was scored again. The rinsing reduced average plaque scores by an average of 13-20%, a very high level of significance. A placebo rinse and a conventional mouthwash removed 2.0% and 1.3% stainable plaque, respectively. The experimental rinse substantially increased the number of surfaces that were totally free of plaque.