Chemical plaque control: how do you advise your patients?

Certain antiplaque and antigingivitis agents have proven efficacious in the control of plaque and gingivitis. To adequately assess the magnitude of the effect that is to be expected in clinical practice, the dentist must take into account the experimental design in order to extrapolate the results of the clinical trial to the target patient population. This paper reviews the strengths and weaknesses of major clinical trial designs in light of their relationship to the results dentists can expect in clinical practice.