Gingivitis prevention & management

Young man looking in the mirror while brushing his teeth

Could the solution already be part of your patients’ routine?

In this article we will be looking at some scientific evidence on the role of specific toothpaste formulations in enhancing the removal of plaque as an adjunct to brushing. By more effectively removing plaque, these formulations can further support the efforts of dental professionals to deliver effective care within their patients’ homes.

Read on to learn more

  • Could sodium bicarbonate toothpaste hold the key to improving your patients’ gum health?

    We know that plaque can form quickly after brushing, and if not removed can start to calcify and form calculus within as little as 4-8 hours.1 Once calculus has hardened, it usually requires cleaning by a dental professional to remove, and the presence of calculus has been shown to be a significant factor in gingival inflammation.2

    This underlines the importance of effective plaque removal, and the prevention of calculus formation. A slight alteration to your patients’ existing oral hygiene routine, such as changing to a sodium bicarbonate toothpaste, could be key to achieving this.

  • The right toothpaste for the job?

    Historically, toothpaste has been viewed primarily as a medium for delivering fluoride to help reduce tooth decay and prevent dental caries.3 The importance of this role shouldn’t be understated; widespread adoption of fluoride-containing toothpastes has been credited with a massive reduction in dental caries during the second half of the 20th century.4

    However, is it now time to start asking whether toothpaste can have a role beyond fluoride delivery, and consider how else it might be used as a key tool in the fight against periodontal disease?

Interactive mouth map and plaque scores graph showing Control vs Corsodyl results

Try the interactive mouth map for yourself!

Discover the evidence for the efficacy of 67% sodium bicarbonate toothpaste. Access our interactive mouth map tool that demonstrates the effect of sodium bicarbonate toothpaste on every tooth site vs. a regular fluoride toothpaste.

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  • What else beyond fluoride?

    One active ingredient sometimes used in commercially available toothpastes is sodium bicarbonate. Both sodium and bicarbonates are naturally occurring constituents of the human body, and the bicarbonates present in saliva are what act to neutralise the acids in the mouth that can lead to dental caries.5

    Although sodium bicarbonate has no intrinsic antibacterial properties, it has been shown in clinical trials to be efficacious at removing dental plaque,6 in addition to neutralising acidic compounds in the mouth and acting as a mild abrasive. It does this by penetrating the plaque’s polymer matrix to disrupt and break bonds in the biofilm. This loosens the plaque and makes it easier to brush away. In addition, sodium bicarbonate’s neutralising effect has been shown to help reduce gingival inflammation.7

    The use of sodium bicarbonate has multiple advantages; it is:

    • Safe
    • Low-cost
    • Only mildly abrasive
    • Water soluble
    • Acts as a buffering agent
    • Is compatible with fluoride8

See the evidence for 67% sodium bicarbonate in toothpaste

A concentration of 67% sodium bicarbonate in toothpaste has been shown to be efficacious in breaking down biofilms and reducing plaque.6,7 In addition, 67% sodium bicarbonate toothpastes have a relative dentin abrasivity of 70 or less, meaning that they are only mildly abrasive.9 Some patients consider the taste of sodium bicarbonate to be too salty. However, we now have sensorially superior formulations that counteract this potential downside.10

In addition, a pooled analysis of similarly designed clinical trials was conducted to examine the effects that a 67% sodium bicarbonate dentifrice had on plaque and gingivitis at individual tooth sites, tooth regions and on the whole mouth. This analysis found that twice-daily use of a sodium bicarbonate toothpaste effectively removed plaque from all tooth sites and resulted in clinically significant improvements in measures of gingival health compared to a non-sodium bicarbonate toothpaste, both overall and for all tooth regions investigated.11

Click to watch the video to see how toothpaste with sodium bicarbonate can help enhance your patients’ clean.

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Drivers of change

  • Which stakeholders are in the best position to help spread this knowledge?

    Person brushing teeth

    So, which stakeholders are in the best position to help spread this knowledge, and make sodium bicarbonate toothpastes more easily available to patients? One answer is the toothpaste manufacturers themselves.

    By recognising the significant benefits of sodium bicarbonate toothpastes on oral hygiene routines, and including them within their product ranges, manufacturers of oral health products are in a powerful position to effect positive change.

  • The benefits for the profession of corporate research

    Image of scientist in a lab

    The insights gained from corporate research can be extremely important, and it’s vital that dental professionals don’t dismiss its benefits. Instead, they should judge this research on its own merits.12

    Although manufacturers of oral health products may have a vested interest in publicising their products, they also have the reach, familiarity, and credibility to spread the message far and wide, which could benefit our patients. In addition to marketing products, manufacturers serve a vital role in disseminating important information about oral health.12 By educating and informing the wider public about the importance of effective plaque removal and the benefits of sodium bicarbonate toothpastes, they can influence customer demand for these products.

  • A common goal

    Image of dentist giving oral health education to patient

    Ultimately, manufacturers and dental professionals have the same goal; improving the oral health of your patients by making effective products easily available to them.12

    Making sodium bicarbonate toothpastes part of their product ranges not only makes good business sense for them, it may also have a significant positive impact on the oral health of millions of people worldwide.

  • What happens now?

    In this series of articles, we’ve examined the importance of stopping the development of periodontal disease through preventative action, talked about the vital role of dental professionals in helping patients change their behaviour to improve their oral hygiene, and considered the role specific formulations of toothpaste can play in reducing incidences of periodontitis.

    Now, we need to take all of this, and transform it into proactive, positive action:

    1. Dental professionals and manufacturers need to further consider the role of toothpaste as a way of helping control plaque, not solely as a medium for delivering fluoride.
    2. Dental professionals need to educate their patients and provide them with clear, evidence-based information that will allow them to proactively prevent the development of periodontitis.
    3. Manufacturers of oral health products need to use their reach and credibility to support dental professionals with patient education tools and by disseminating and publicising knowledge.

    By doing the above, we have a powerful opportunity to give patients the support, information, and tools they need to take control of their oral hygiene routines, bringing with it improvements to their overall health and quality of life.

Additional resources

Graphic illustration of a tooth with the text ‘let’s tackle gum disease together’ and ‘above and beyond for gums’

Parodontax & Corsodyl overview

Discover more about our global commitment to the prevention of gum disease.

Find out more

A dentist shows a happy woman how to brush her teeth properly with a mouth model

Supporting you to help patients on a journey to improved gum health

Find out more about how we can partner with you to support a change in patient behaviour to harness the power of daily oral hygiene between dental appointments.

Find out more

Interactive mouth map and plaque scores graph showing Control vs Corsodyl results

Interactive mouth map data

This mouth map visualization is a world first interactive tool which aims to simplify highly complex data to make it engaging whilst remaining routed in clinical evidence.

Interactive tool

Woman looking in mirror brushing teeth

A world without gum disease

Could a greater focus on the prevention and management of plaque-induced gum disease hold the key to a world where periodontitis is rare? Learn more in this article from the Mission: Gingival Health series.

Learn more

Man looking in mirror flossing teeth

Barriers to gum health management

This article examines why patients may be unable or unwilling to modify their behaviour around gum health and treating gingivitis at home.

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Image of a dentist and patient in conversation

Managing gum disease in patients

Learn more about the management of gum disease including supporting behaviour change and the EFP S3 level clinical guidelines for treatment of periodontitis.

Learn more