Crest Pro-Health Rinse Stains Teeth

[taximomfor4]

I logged into my college off-campus access. I didn't spend hours, but did search a little thoroughly. I didn't find ANY research confirming this adverse effect.

Perhaps studies haven't been done yet? I have never bought this stuff, but I can say the effectiveness against plaque was proven in the scholarly journals...I would rather have a little staining between my teeth, as long as I am reducing harmful plaque!

 

[MScott1851]

Eh..not that I'm ready to burn all my bottles of Crest mouthwash...I remember seeing this thread before.

BUT.....

One of the segments DH does each week on the news is called "Does It Work?" where they test product claims and "as seen on TV" items and mark them as pass or fail.

They actually did test the Crest Pro Rinse and some other of the new pre-rinses with an actual laboratory setup and placing circles impregnated with the various brands onto agar plates with growth on them to see if the alcohol free rinses were as effective. (I remember doing something like that in microbiology....I though Dr. Tichenor's was the best.)
Initially, it was marked as a "Pass."

After the segment, DH had bought and used the Crest Pro Health, and had a slight darkening of his teeth, not black, but a light reddish brown color, enough for the hygenist to notice when he went in a couple of months later for his cleaning, and definitely enough for me to tell. He stopped it immediately, bleached with the Crest Premium Strips, and he went back to Listerine Whitening Rinse... So far, all is well.

Just food for thought, as I really have no personal agenda.

 

[dental wiz]

Eh..not that I'm ready to burn all my bottles of Crest mouthwash...I remember seeing this thread before.

BUT.....

One of the segments DH does each week on the news is called "Does It Work?" where they test product claims and "as seen on TV" items and mark them as pass or fail.

They actually did test the Crest Pro Rinse and some other of the new pre-rinses with an actual laboratory setup and placing circles impregnated with the various brands onto agar plates with growth on them to see if the alcohol free rinses were as effective. (I remember doing something like that in microbiology....I though Dr. Tichenor's was the best.)
Initially, it was marked as a "Pass."

After the segment, DH had bought and used the Crest Pro Health, and had a slight darkening of his teeth, not black, but a light reddish brown color, enough for the hygenist to notice when he went in a couple of months later for his cleaning, and definitely enough for me to tell. He stopped it immediately, bleached with the Crest Premium Strips, and he went back to Listerine Whitening Rinse... So far, all is well.

Just food for thought, as I really have no personal agenda.

It's a good thing that your DH caught it early and stopped using the product. Because it is a bear to remove.

 

[dental wiz]

I logged into my college off-campus access. I didn't spend hours, but did search a little thoroughly. I didn't find ANY research confirming this adverse effect.

Perhaps studies haven't been done yet? I have never bought this stuff, but I can say the effectiveness against plaque was proven in the scholarly journals...I would rather have a little staining between my teeth, as long as I am reducing harmful plaque!

Actually the Crest Pro-Health Rinse causes stains in between the teeth and all along the gumline. It is very unsightly.

As for the scientific research:

1. The main active ingredient in the Crest Pro-Health Rinse is CPC, which has long been known to cause tooth staining and discoloration. Attached is a link to a position paper by the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association, which states the following (see page 6):

"CPC shares some of the adverse effects of CHX including tooth staining, burning, and increased calculus formation."

CDHA position paper

There are several scientific papers that have established the link between CPC and staining/discoloration. Two such papers listed in the CDHA report are as follows:

Mandel ID, Chemotherapeutic agents for controlling plaque and gingivitis, J Clin Periodontal, 1988, 15(8):488-98.

Mandel ID, Antimicrobial mouthrinses: overview and update, Journal of American Dental Association, 1994, 125 (Suppl 2):2S-10S.

2. There are a few other OTC mouthrinses that contain CPC (most notably Cepacol), but the new Crest Pro-Health Rinse contains 40% more CPC than the existing brands. See page 4 of the CDHA position paper for a comparison.

3. There is anecdotal evidence that this higher concentration of CPC in the Crest Rinse (an ingredient which is known to cause staining) is resulting in a high incidence of actual staining and discoloration. I already mentioned the Amazon and Drugstore.com reviews. Also, there are several comments on the DentalTown and HygieneTown websites (I can provide some of the specific comments if you like) from Dentists and RDH's describing the severe staining from several pts who used the Crest rinse. These patients were otherwise healthy individuals who were not simultaneously using CHX or being treated for gum disease.

Lastly, I would just note that it is important, IMO, to use dental hygiene products that have been approved by the American Dental Association. Crest Pro-Health Rinse has NOT been approved by the ADA. Several good mouthrinses are available with the ADA seal. Listerine is one such product, but there are several others.

Again, all I'm saying is do a little research before you use the Crest rinse. If you still decide to use it, fine, just make sure you are aware of the possibility for significant tooth discoloration. I've seen it first hand, and it is nasty.

 

[dental wiz]

Also, let me provide just a few more specific references:

1. On the link between CPC and tooth staining/discoloration -- The following website provides an excellent paper from Dr. Jonathan Ship of the NYU College of Dentistry. Ship paper Dr. Ship states: "Cetylpyridinium chloride is an ingredient in several mouthwashes (eg, Cepacol, Scope) that can cause dental staining (Eriksen, 1979)." The Eriksen paper that he refers to is as follows:

Eriksen HM, Jemtland B, Finckenhagen HJ, Gjermo P: Evaluation of extrinsic tooth discoloration. Acta Odontol Scand 1979; 37(6): 371-5

Again, the link between CPC and staining is nothing new. I can provide several other references.

2. On the relative concentration of CPC in the Crest Pro-Health Rinse vs. other brands -- Again, it is important to note that most OTC mouthrinses do NOT contain CPC. Several others do contain CPC, but at much lower concentrations than the Crest Pro-Health Rinse. I can provide other links, but the easiest thing to do is check the bottle. You will note that the Crest Pro-Health Rinse has a much higher concentration of CPC than the other two popular OTC rinses that contain CPC (Scope and Cepacol).

3. In summary, Crest Pro-Health Rinse contains a much higher concentration of an ingredient that has been known to cause staining. And staining appears to be occurring frequently in real-world applications. Here is a quote from DentalTown.com (from a long-time user w/ over 11,000 posts):

"It has come to my attention that we have had a few patients presenting for routine recall lately that have a lot of stain present when they have not had the same problem before. All have started using the Crest Pro Health Rinse recently on a daily basis. This product has not been around too long, but there is no warning regarding stain on the labeling and this has not been documented to my knowledge. Many of these previously used Listerine daily and did not have the same issues."

There are many other similar complaints on both DentalTown and HygieneTown. I can't provide a link because you must be either a licensed dentist or RDH to gain access to the web boards. But I would gladly provide other relevant quotes from these boards.

The bottom line is that there is serious staining problem associated with the Crest Pro-Health Rinse, and I would caution everyone to carefully consider this prior to usage.

 

[dental wiz]

One parting shot ...

I'm mostly a lurker on this board, although I do occasionally post, and I do post about topics other than dental issues. I don't start threads very often. I am also a regular vacationer at WDW, which is what prompted me to this board in the first place.

Also, I don't work for Pfizer or any other competitor of P&G. In fact, I work for an insurance company, and one of the mods could easily verify that via my IP address if anyone doubts it.

I am very concerned about the negative side affects associated with the Crest Pro-Health Rinse. I hate to see staining from this product, especially when it happens to kids. And I've sort of made it my cause du jour to get the word out, as I have been unsuccessful in convincing P&G to put a warning on the bottle. Consumers deserve to be informed about the possibility of serious side affects with any product.

As such, I will probably post this warning again in several months. If I can help or inform even one person, then it's worth making the post. In fact, in my first post, one OP was very grateful to me, as my post finally helped her figure out the cause of her mysterious staining problem (she had recently started using the Crest rinse).

There were several posters in this thread who were skeptical, and requested more information. I don't mind this at all. It's good to be skeptical.

However, what I don't understand (on this or any other message board) is the need to call names (e.g. the troll and spam pictures, etc.). There are thousands of threads started on this board every day, and I start probably one thread every 3 months. How can that be considered "spamming" the board? Also, I am very courteous and non-confrontational, so it is a mystery to me how I can be considered a "troll".

If you don't agree with my point of my view, and the importance that I place on this issue, why not just ignore my post? But I will never understand the need that some have (on this and other message boards) to call names and to revert to childish insults.

That's the end of my rant. Unless anybody has any further questions, I will go back to lurking and posting on non-dental topics.

 

[bananiem]

Because it's the ONLY THING YOU POST ABOUT.

 

[dental wiz]

Because it's the ONLY THING YOU POST ABOUT.

As I've already stated, this is not true. Granted, I am mostly a lurker, but I have posted to many threads that do not deal with dental issues. I'm sure you can check my post history and find plenty of posts that do not deal with this topic.

 

[bananiem]

I did. Only this topic came up. You'll need to provide some links.

 

[taximomfor4]

thank you for providing position papers. In my quick searches last night, I was unable to find any...it will help your cause tremendously, I think, to provide links to those in future threads about this topic. It really lends some credibility.

Thanks again!
Beth

 

[dental wiz]

I did. Only this topic came up. You'll need to provide some links.

I have never actually checked someone's post history, so I don't know how to do it. And I really don't care to learn.

I will admit that I have started very few threads on this board. But I believe that I have probably started at least one or two threads about non-dental issues.

Also, I have made many posts to threads that have been started by others, and that don't deal with dental issues. And I am sure that they were courteous posts, because I am not a confrontational person. But I can't provide you any links, because I don't know how to search for prior posts that I have made.

Honestly, this animosity that you have for me is quite puzzling to me. You really haven't disputed any of the facts and information that I have posted; all you have contributed is ad hominem attacks toward me.

 

[dental wiz]

thank you for providing position papers. In my quick searches last night, I was unable to find any...it will help your cause tremendously, I think, to provide links to those in future threads about this topic. It really lends some credibility.

Thanks again!
Beth

You're welcome. Thanks for the nice post.

 

[cherylp3]

I have a question: The cpc causing the staining and not the fact that there is no alcohol correct?
I use a natural brand of mouthwash, it is alcohol free and there is no cpc listed so thus I should not have staining issues.

 

[dental wiz]

I have a question: The cpc causing the staining and not the fact that there is no alcohol correct?
I use a natural brand of mouthwash, it is alcohol free and there is no cpc listed so thus I should not have staining issues.

Yes, that is correct. The studies that I have provided indicate a link between CPC and tooth staining/discoloration. The Crest Pro-Health Rinse contains a high concentration of CPC.

There are several very good, alcohol-free mouthrinses that do not contain CPC. I would not expect these rinses to cause staining. I think you're totally fine sticking with your natural product.

 

[dental wiz]

P&G has a new FAQ on their website where they blame the staining problem with Crest rinse on the "blue dye" in the product, as opposed to the high concentration of CPC. More corporate BS in my opinion.

p&g's answer

Also, they minimize the problem by emphasizing that the stains are "easily removed". Trust me, these stains are a real bear to get off; ask any RDH who has had to deal with them.

 

[dental wiz]

This is just a reminder that Crest Pro-Health Rinse causes tooth staining.

Thank you and regards.

DW

 

[LindsayDunn228]

This is just a reminder that Crest Pro-Health Rinse causes tooth staining.

Thank you and regards.

DW

For the 1,000,000,000,000th time: WE KNOW!!!!

 

[L107ANGEL]

For the 1,000,000,000,000th time: WE KNOW!!!!

 

[dental wiz]

For the 1,000,000,000,000th time: WE KNOW!!!!

Excellent!

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Excellent!

We promise to miss you if you will go away