Aim: To compare the antimicrobial efficacy in vitro of a new fluoride system containing 0.3% Triclosan and 2.0% zinc citrate with a standard fluoride toothpaste against bacteria commonly isolated from dental plaque.
Method: Mature biofilms of fixed depth containing ten oral bacterial species were developed in a model system and then exposed to the formulations both in situ and ex situ.
Results: The standard fluoride toothpaste had limited activity against the Gram positive species following 1 and 5 minutes ex situ exposure (p = 0.004 and p = 0.02, respectively) but none against the Gram negative species; also, no overall effect following repeated pulsing in situ was observed. In contrast, viable counts of Gram positive and Gram negative species were markedly reduced following ex situ exposure for 1 and 5 minutes to the new formulation (Gram positive: p = 0.0007 and p = 0.04; Gram negative: p = 0.04 and p = 0.00001, respectively). Counts of Gram positive bacteria were reduced by 99.9% over a 4-day in situ pulsing period, while no Gram negative species were recoverable from the biofilm by day 4.
Conclusion: The new toothpaste formulation had a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against biofilm consortia containing bacteria associated with both dental caries and periodontal diseases.