The
dentifrices currently available in the marketplace contain many anticariogenic substances,
fluoride and abrasives aimed to better clean the dental surface, remove
dental plaque, improve salivary flow and its
buffer capacity and reduce colonies of bacteria such as S. mutans, the causative agent of
dental caries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the possibility of adequately removing
dental plaque using an experimental
almond oil dentifrice (Titoil) with no abrasives or antiplaque agents. This study was carried out with 80 volunteers, all of them 18-year-old recruits from the military training school of Araçatuba -- SP. Saliva sampling and
dental plaque disclosing were undertaken both before and after 28 days of
toothbrushing with a low abrasive
dentifrice (Group 1: 40 volunteers) or with Titoil (Group 2: 40 volunteers). Statistical analysis of the results revealed that the experimental
dentifrice (Titoil) did not interfere with salivary flow and reduced
dental plaque more than the low abrasive
dentifrice, improved the salivary
buffer capacity and decreased salivary S. mutans (Caritest-SM) as much as regular
dentifrices. It was concluded that if the dental industry replaces abrasive by
vegetable oil in
dentifrices, these will be more effective in maintaining oral health and will cause less
dental abrasion.