WHAT IS PLAQUE?
Plaque on the surface of the teeth is a substrate of living bacteria the metabolised products of which cause deterioration of the attachment of the teeth to the jawbone, and the acids of which cause caries of the dental enamel. The first sign of inflammation of the gums is when the gums bleed when you brush your teeth. Often the inflammation process is totally without symptoms up until the final stage. Regular dental examinations and plaque removal are important, for a person?s general health as well. Untreated, inflamed gums can be a source of infection that may pave the way for other ills, in some cases even for heart disease.
ORAL HYGIENE INDEX
The oral hygiene index is a method that is used for measuring the amount of a person?s oral plaque and tartar. The picture below shows how the amount of plaque has been graded, as measured in three teeth (teeth numbers 11, 26 and 31).
Removing dental calculus using a pill.
Berth Mattson and Sune Wikner
Plaque is a necessity for formation of dental calculus and for development of caries. However, all plaques do not develop calculus, probably due to some protective mechanism in saliva and/or the periodontal exsudate. There is not sufficient knowledge on the character of such a protective mechanism. The composition of diet might influence it. The purpose of this study was to investigate if a daily swallowing of a pill containing a herb had any influence on human dental calculus and plaque.
Material and methods. This herb has been commercially available all over Europe for more than 30 years. It contains a large number of nutrients and may be regarded as a dietary supplement. The material consisted of 30 adult patients who used to be calculus formers and who had oral calculus present at baseline. They got free samples of the pill and agreed to consume two pills a day during two months. One dentist recorded the extension of supragingival calculus and plaque on teeth 26, 31 and 11 (OHI-S according to Greene and Wermillion) at baseline and after two months. The results were recorded as plaque index (PLA) and calculus index (CAI). In case the calculus had not disappeared after two months the participants increased the dose to four pills for another two months. Statistical method: The differences between values recorded at baseline and two months later were statistically evaluated Students t- test.
Results The tables and figures 1-2 demonstrate that the extension of both plaque and calculus was strongly and significantly reduced on all examined teeth. As shown in figure 3 the effect of the pill on calculus after two months differed between individuals. In 16 persons the calculus had disappeared or the extension of it was reduced. In 12 persons, only little reduction was recorded but the calculus was extremely soft and easy to remove, even by the patient. No effect was recorded in two cases. The differing effect is most likely due to different levels of mineralization. At the two-month examination some of the patients who still had calculus accepted to increase from two to four pills a day for another eight weeks. In other cases the calculus was removed by the dentist two months after baseline and the patients continued to eat the pill. Formation of new calculus was either nil or considerably slower compared to previous years. The pill had a pronounced effect on plaque formation (figure 2). Consumption during 2-4 months reduced plaque by 71- 87 per cent. According to table 2 the difference before and after consumption was highly significant on all three examined teeth. Most likely that effect can be achieved already after a few days consumption of the pill.
Table 1. Extension of dental calculus on teeth No. 26, 31 and 11 in 30 persons before and after two months consumption of PLAQUEOFF?.
| Tooth No. 26 | CAI | SD | ||
| At baseline | 0.96 | 0.527 | ||
| After two months | 0.57 | 0.503 | Diff 41% | P< 0.0021 |
| Tooth No. 31 | CAI | SD | ||
| At baseline | 1.13 | 0.571 | ||
| After two months | 0.76 | 0.504 | Diff 30 % | P< 0.011 |
| Tooth No. 11 | CAI | SD | ||
| At baseline | 0.41 | 0.568 | ||
| After two months | 0.14 | 0.350 | Diff 68 % | P< 0.009 |
Table 2. Extension of plaque on teeth No. 26, 31 and 11 in 30 persons before and after two months consumption of PLAQUEOFF?.
| Tooth No. 26 | PLI | SD | ||
| At baseline | 0.85 | 0.456 | ||
| After two months | 0.11 | 0.362 | Diff 87% | P< 0.0001 |
| Tooth No. 31 | PLI | SD | ||
| At baseline | 0.70 | 0.535 | ||
| After two months | 0.10 | 0.305 | Diff 86 % | P< 0.0001 |
| Tooth No. 11 | PLI | SD | ||
| At baseline | 0.48 | 0.580 | ||
| After two months | 0.15 | 0.362 | Diff 71 % | P< 0.001 |
Discussion. This study indicates that consumption of this herb may eventually eliminate existing plaque and calculus. It is emphasised that the data accounted for in table 3 to some extent are based on the dentist?s subjective judgement. E.g. no criterion for the hardness of the calculus or the force that was necessary for its removal had been decided before the start of the study. However, the observation that the calculus was easy to remove and/or soft may be important for the future understanding of the involved mechanisms. Such criteria should be included in future studies. One patient told that his calculus could be removed with a wooden toothpick already after one week?s consumption of two pills a day. In other cases two months were not enough but when the dose was increased from two to four pills the calculus started to diminish even in those. Thus, some persons may need a higher dose and a longer treatment time than others. Our recommendation is to start by eating two pills daily during two weeks. If no effect is observed the dose should be increased to four pills to be eaten until the calculus is gone. The recorded reduction of existing calculus is consistent with the observed plaque reduction and the observation that new calculus formation was unusual during the consumption period. Since the pill seems to reduce plaque to quite an extent it should protect people from caries in the long run as well. Future studies will reveal if that assumption comes true.
Conclusion. Daily consumption of this herb may reduce the extension of plaque and of calculus in adults having calculus, but also prevent formation of new plaque and calculus.
Fig 2
Fig. 3
