The evaluation of tiodonium chloride as an antiplaque and anticaries agent. IV. Effectiveness on plaque and gingivitis in a short-term clinical study.

The purpose of this clinical investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of 0.3% tiodonium chloride mouthrinse on various plaque and gingivitis indices. Fifty-five subjects were randomly assigned to the tiodonium chloride or placebo mouthrinses. After a prophylaxis on day 1 of the study, the subjects suspended all oral hygiene except for the daily supervised mouthrinsing. Plaque was monitored by thickness, area, and dry weight. All mean plaque scores were significantly lower in the tiodonium chloride group than in the placebo group (P less than 0.01). Gingivitis was assessed by a clinical gingivitis index and by measuring the amount of crevicular fluid. Mean clinical gingivitis scores (GI) did not differ significantly between the two groups; however the mean gingival fluid score was significantly lower in the tiodonium chloride group than in the placebo group (P less than 0.05). No side effects were reported or observed during the study.