Effect of three oral hygiene regimes on salivary fluoride concentration.

Mouthwashes are increasingly used as an adjunct to toothpastes in oral hygiene regimes. In 2009, we led a project, funded by Johnson & Johnson, to test the potential benefit of the combined use of a fluoridated toothpaste and a fluoridated mouthwash. The original concern expressed by some was that 100 ppm fluoride in mouthwash would be too low, but our study was the first one to show that it is sufficient to maintain salivary fluoride levels, where this is a main concern for dental professionals and the consumers. Our study [6] formed part of a position paper in the British Dental Journal (Pitts et al, 2012: http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v212/n7/pdf/sj.bdj.2012.260.pdf; Accessed 23 Oct 2013), which contained key recommendations for the use of such products, and has also been as a basis for the message of “Spit don’t rinse” by several organisations.