Effectiveness of New Isomalt-Containing Toothpaste Formulations in Preventing Dental Caries: A Microbial Study

This study investigated the efficacy of Isomalt-containing toothpaste in preventing development of dental caries. Methods: Human dental enamel slabs were allocated to six groups (30/group) at random: De-ionized distilled water (DDW), and toothpaste containing 10% Isomalt, 1100 ppm fluoride, 0.05% cetylpyridinium chloride [CPC] (ICT); 10% Isomalt, 1100 ppm fluoride (IT); 10% Isomalt, 1100 ppm fluoride, 1.5% Sodium lauryl sulfate [SLS] (IST); 1100 ppm fluoride only (FT); 1100 ppm fluoride with SLS (FST). The enamel slabs were exposed to caries development via plaque growth in a Microbial Caries Model for 7 days. Toothpastes were applied as slurries (one toothpaste–three DDW) for 2 min twice daily. Demineralization was measured as the change in surface microhardness (ΔSMH) and amount of mineral lost (∆Z), and these metrics were assessed using Transverse Microradiography. Intra-group (SMH) and intergroup (%∆SMH and ∆Z) comparisons were paired t-test and Tukey’s test (α = 0.05), respectively. Results: With SMH, demineralization was found to be significant (p < 0.001) in all groups compared to sound enamel baseline, except ICT group. With %ΔSMH, all other groups had significantly (p < 0.001) less demineralization compared to DDW. Significantly (p < 0.001) greater demineralization was observed in IT, FT and FST compared to ICT, and no significant difference was observed between IST and ICT or FT. With ∆Z, relative to the DDW group, the inhibition of demineralization was significant (p < 0.0001) in all groups at varying percentages. Conclusions: Toothpaste containing 10% Isomalt, 1100 ppm fluoride, and 0.05% CPC demonstrated greater efficacy in inhibiting caries development amid dental plaque compared to toothpaste containing only 1100 ppm fluoride.