Plaque inhibition by a combination of zinc citrate and sodium lauryl sulfate.

Bacteriological tests demonstrated an additive inhibitory effect of ZnCl2 and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) on in vitro growth of Streptococcus sobrinus OMZ 176 and of Streptococcus sanguis ATCC 10556. As measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, the solubility of zinc citrate increased in the presence of SLS. After 48 h, the concentration of solubilized zinc from aqueous solutions of 5.0 mM zinc citrate was 12.0 mM versus 14.4 mM in the presence of 34.7 mM SLS. The plaque-inhibiting properties of aqueous solutions of 12.0 mM Zn2+ from zinc citrate, 34.7 mM SLS, and 14.4 mM Zn2+ from zinc citrate in combination with 34.7 mM SLS were examined in 7 volunteers. Plaque accumulations were assessed by using a method earlier described after 3 days of twice daily mouthrinses with 10 ml test solution, during which period no mechanical oral hygiene was performed. Compared to placebo, SLS and zinc citrate increased the frequency of plaque index score 0 by 52.9 and 98.3%, respectively, and SLS gave 36.9% and zinc citrate 55.7% less surfaces with scores 2 or 3 (p less than 0.05 in all cases). The combination of zinc citrate and SLS gave a threefold increase of plaque index score 0 and a 70.5% reduction of scores 2 or 3 (p less than 0.05).