Reducing Bacteria That Cause Tooth Decay

December 10, 2019 updated by: University of California, Los Angeles

Reducing Microbial Levels in High Caries Risk Adults

The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of a two-step mouth rinsing procedure on reducing the germs (mutans Streptococci) that cause tooth decay. We hope that the two-step mouth rinse (0.3% NaOCl followed by 10% Povidone Iodine) decreases the tooth causing germs better than the one-step mouth rinse (10% Povidone Iodine). The mouth rinse for both treatment groups is done only once at the beginning of the study after the initial saliva samples are taken, and before a detailed examination of the teeth and gums. It is hypothesized that the treatment group receiving the NaOCl and Povidone iodine will have significantly lower microbial counts than the control group (Povidone iodine) because the NaOCl will disrupt the microbial biofilm and make the Povidone iodine more effective in decreasing the microbes in the biofilm. Microbial counts are made from Salivary samples taken from participants at baseline, one week, one month, two months and three months. The samples are tested by two commercial methods for determining microbial counts. The CariScreen Test is a rapid bioluminescence assay that quantitates the total number of all of the organisms present. The CRT test requires a culture media that is specific for the two germs (S. mutans and Lactobacillus) strongly associated with tooth decay. The results of the CRT Test are read after three days of incubation.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

48

Phase

  • Phase 3

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

20 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • being over 20 years of age;
  • having at least one obviously cavitated tooth;
  • refraining from smoking, brushing the teeth and using a mouthwash the day of the bacterial sampling;
  • refraining from using a commercial mouth rinse during the three months of the study;
  • having any two of the following risk factors in the Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) protocol which qualifies as a high caries risk.

The high caries risk factors included:

  • receiving fillings within the past three years;
  • snacking frequently between meals;
  • presenting with hyposalivation due to medication, radiation or systemic conditions;
  • visual presence of heavy plaque accumulation;
  • and a minimum of 20 natural teeth.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • using a systemic antibiotic within the past three months;
  • currently receiving dental treatment or planning to receive treatment within the next three months (emergency treatment allowed);
  • being pregnant or nursing;
  • any thyroid disease or sensitivity to iodine;
  • the use of a commercially available mouth rinse the day of the screening examination;
  • smoking, brushing the teeth and using a mouth rinse the day of the bacterial sampling;
  • not being able to make morning examinations.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Treatment(TX)
. Participants were assigned randomly to one of two treatment groups and continued in parallel for the three-month duration of the study. The first treatment group (TX) rinsed with NaOCL (0.3%) for one minute followed by rinsing with iodine (10%) for one minute
Other Names:
  • Clorox
Active Comparator: Control (CT)
. Participants were assigned randomly to one of two treatment groups and continued in parallel for the three-month duration of the study. The control group (CT) rinsed with iodine (10%) for minute. The CT group was a positive control. Both of these treatments were done only once at the baseline. The reminder of the three-month study was to obtain saliva samples at specific times to determining microbial levels.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Microbial Levels
Time Frame: Baseline, 12 weeks
The CRT® Bacteria (Ivoclar Vivadent) saliva sample test is done on culture media that is specific for S. mutans and Lactobacillus. After incubation for 3 days the colonies are compared to photographic standards.
Baseline, 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Vladimir W. Spolsky, DMD, MPH, University of California, Los Angeles

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 21, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 11, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

February 17, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 21, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 22, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

February 23, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 24, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 10, 2019

Last Verified

December 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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