Cover; Page 1 2 3 4 5 Research Report SMARTMOUTH- Anti-Halitosis Treatment Rinse Abstract Halitosis is largely an oral condition that has received wide attention in the last five years. A number of mouthrinse products have been marketed to the dental community for halitosis treatment using antibacterial agents, oxidizing agents and zinc-containing rinses as the dominant treatment modalities. Recently, a clinical analysis using an innovative challenge test methodology was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of SmartMouth Anti Halitosis Treatment Rinse (AHTR). The Cysteine Challenge test is a method that severely tests the effectiveness of anti-malodor agents or products. The test was reported and described at the Third International Conference on Oral Malodor Research held in August, 1997, in Vancouver, Canada. In addition, a four week double blind clinical trial on 48 subjects was conducted to determine if prolonged use of SmartMouth Rinse AHTR generated an enhanced effect. An abstract reporting on the results of this trial is in preparation for submission to the forthcoming meeting of the International Association of Dental Research in March, 1999, which coincidentally is also in Vancouver, Canada. A full report for submission to a refereed scientific journal is now in preparation. SmartMouth Rinse AHTR was found to provide significant, sustained halitosis protection over an eight hour period of time by the Cysteine Challenge test. The four week clinical trial showed a prolongation of effectiveness, as much as 12 hours, which is sufficient to significantly reduce or eliminate morning breath. Introduction Use of oral rinses for the purpose of treating and preventing halitosis (bad breath) has been a common practice since ancient times. Halitosis, which primarily originates in the mouth, is caused by Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria which reside in or on all oral surfaces, especially the interproximal areas of dentition and the dorsum of the tongue. These bacteria readily metabolize various amino acids contained in salivary peptides and proteins in the oral cavity as well as amino acids in foods and desquamating epithelial cells. As a result of this metabolism, volatile gases are produced and released as by-products. The underlying process is referred to as oral bacterial putrefaction, which includes proteolysis, the breakdown of proteins into amino acids, and aminolysis, the breakdown of amino acids into odorous and tissue harming by-products. Prominent among the amino acids that are broken down to produce odor are the sulfur-containing amino acids, cysteine, cystine and methionine. Previous Page     Next Page Cover; Page 1 2 3 4 5