New dental gel reduces periodontal symptoms

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One step closer to fighting periodontitis: New dental gel reduces periodontal symptoms

According to a study, an innovative dental gel reduced the periodontal pocket depths in patients with periodontitis by 1.18 mm. (Image: Vadim Zakharishchev/Shutterstock)
Franziska Beier, Dental Tribune International

Franziska Beier, Dental Tribune International

Mon. 12. April 2021

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala./IRVINE, Calif., U.S.: Researchers from different U.S. universities have collaborated to investigate a novel dental gel, produced by Livionex Pharma, a company based in Los Gatos in California. The findings of their study demonstrated that the product significantly reduced gingival bleeding, gingival inflammation and the depths of periodontal pockets in patients with periodontitis.

It is estimated that 42% of U.S. adults who are 30 years of age or older have periodontitis, according to the Journal of the American Dental Association. This considerable number of affected patients and recent study findings indicating that periodontitis is linked with severe outcomes of COVID-19 make the new dental gel a much-needed tool in the fight against this oral disease.

The six-month study compared how two toothpastes affected periodontal pocket depths, gingival inflammation, and gingival bleeding in 65 patients with periodontitis. One group used the novel dental gel LIVFRESH, and the control group brushed with Crest Pro-Health toothpaste (Procter & Gamble), an anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis toothpaste approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The LIVFRESH dental gel uses activated edathamil to fight plaque formation. (Image: Livionex Pharma)

This was the first randomized clinical study of a toothpaste to report a statistically and clinically significant decrease of periodontal symptoms, commented co-author Dr. Petra Wilder-Smith, director of dentistry at the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic at the University of California, Irvine, in a press release.

The researchers reported that participants who brushed with LIVFRESH showed an average improvement of 1.18 mm in periodontal pocket depths compared with 0.93 mm in the control group. Significant improvements were also observed in gingival inflammation, gingival bleeding and plaque formation.

Co-author Dr. Nicolaas Geurs, professor and chair at the Department of Periodontology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, commented: “The management of periodontitis requires effective daily plaque control by the patient. This remains a challenge for most patients. The LIVFRESH study results show that periodontitis patients can achieve significant benefits of better oral health, without changing their daily brushing habits.”

What differentiates LIVFRESH from conventional toothpastes is that its formula does without abrasives and detergents. The most important ingredient of the dental gel is activated edathamil, a formulation that removes plaque by repelling bacteria from the tooth surface while creating a barrier to prevent new plaque from attaching to teeth, according to Livionex Pharma.

“The results of this study are extremely promising and take us one step closer to becoming the first toothpaste to aid in the treatment of periodontitis,” commented Amit Goswamy, CEO of Livionex. He added that the findings are especially important during the ongoing pandemic, as more than one-third of COVID-19 patients continue to suffer from long-term periodontitis after having recovered from the respiratory syndrome.

The study, titled “Evaluating efficacy of a novel dentifrice in reducing probing depths in stage I and II periodontitis maintenance patients: A randomized, double‐blind, positive controlled clinical trial,” was published online on Dec. 17, 2020, in the Journal of Periodontology, ahead of inclusion in an issue.

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