Effectiveness of Arginine in Tooth Cleaning Proven (Not Only) by Quantitative Light-Induced Fluorescence
There is no doubt about the benefits of toothpaste in daily dental care. Today, there are numerous studies proving that brushing without toothpaste does not have the same effectiveness as brushing with toothpaste. It is more effective and, thanks to active ingredients, can slow down or even reverse the development of tooth decay.
Benefits of Arginine in Toothpastes
An important component of toothpastes is fluoride. Fluoride alone has clinically proven efficacy in preventing tooth decay. A major innovation, however, is the addition of another active ingredient to toothpastes: arginine. Arginine is an amino acid that further reduces the risk of demineralization. It helps balance the pH in the mouth, thus shortening the time acids act on tooth enamel. Using fluoride toothpaste with arginine also causes a shift in the bacterial population of plaque towards a composition found in the biofilm of caries-free individuals.
Evidence from a Clinical Study Based on Fluorescence
The effectiveness of arginine was demonstrated, for example, in a study comparing toothpaste with 1.5% arginine, an insoluble calcium compound, and 1450 ppm fluoride as monofluorophosphate with a control toothpaste containing only 1450 ppm fluoride as sodium fluoride. The study included children aged 9 to 13 with existing carious lesions on the buccal surfaces of their teeth. Quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) was used to assess the extent of caries at the beginning of the study, and after 3 and 6 months.
Resulting Observations: Reduction of Carious Lesions by up to 50%
The study was completed by 438 participants, of which 48.6% were girls. No undesirable side effects of the products used were observed during the study. The main parameter observed was the extent of the carious lesion (ΔQ) in mm2.
At the start of the test, the average size of lesions was 27.26; after 6 months, the values decreased to 17.99 in the control group, and in the arginine group, the values decreased to 13.46, an improvement of 50.6%. Arginine acted faster − the results measurements seen in the study group after 3 months were achieved by the control group after 6 months. This means that the new toothpaste containing 1.5% arginine provides significantly higher reversion of initial dental caries compared to standard fluoride toothpaste.
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Source: Yin W., Hu D. Y., Li X. The anti-caries efficacy of a dentifrice containing 1.5% arginine and 1450 ppm fluoride as sodium monofluorophosphate assessed using quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF). J Dent 2013; 41 (Suppl. 2): S22−S28, doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2010.04.004.
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