Chapek CW, Reed OK, and Ratcliff PA
Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry, Vol. 16, pp. 188-196; 1995
Abstract
Bleeding on probing is an important indicator for detecting the presence of periodontal disease activity. Gingival bleeding occurs when there is a break in the continuity of the epithelium. This retrospective study compared the number of bleeding on probing sites that measured 4 mm or more with the use vs nonuse of RetarDENT®,a toothpaste and RetarDEX®,a oral rinse, chlorine dioxide (ClO2)/phosphate oral-care products. A previous study by the authors demonstrated that in 2,085 periodontal defects measuring at least 4 mm were reduced to less than 3 mm (or by 67%) with a mean of 3 to 4 months after using RetarDENT® toothpaste and RetarDEX® oral rinse.1 Bleeding on probing is accepted as an important indicator to detect the presence of periodontal disease activity. There are conflicting reports about the influence of oxygen on the integrity of the gingival epithelium. Hirsch questioned the value of oxygen while Kaiser and Orban found it to be beneficial.The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of a high redox capacity ClO/phosphate-based toothpaste and oral rinse would provide a change in bleeding on probing in patients receiving routine prophylaxis in a recare practice.