The effect of a dentifrice containing Magnolia extract on established plaque and gingivitis in man: a six‐month clinical study

Aim The aim was to evaluate the clinical effect of a dentifrice containing 0.3% Magnolia extract on dental plaque and gingivitis. Material and methods The trial was a 6‐month double‐blind, stratified, randomized and 2‐armed parallel group study. Forty‐six subjects in the test group brushed their teeth with a dentifrice containing 0.3% Magnolia extract and 48 subjects in the control group brushed with a placebo dentifrice. Plaque and gingivitis were assessed at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Results There was a significantly larger gingivitis reduction in the Magnolia group than in the control group (0.26 ± 0.11 versus 0.11 ± 0.12) ( P  < 0.001). There was a greater increase in the total number of healthy gingival units Gingival Index ( GI score 0) in the Magnolia group than in the control group (149% versus 31%) and a larger reduction in inflamed gingival units ( GI score 2/3) (60% versus 30%). Furthermore, at sites with similar amounts of plaque, less clinical signs of gingival inflammation were observed in the Magnolia group than in the control group. Conclusion Six months’ unsupervised use of a dentifrice containing 0.3% Magnolia extract resulted in significantly greater gingivitis reduction than a corresponding control dentifrice.