I have a comment and a question regarding "The Efficacy of an Essential Oil Antiseptic Mouthrinse Versus Dental Floss in Controlling Interproximal Gingivitis: A Comparative Study" by Dr. K. Bauroth and colleagues (March JADA).
The comment is that, given the standard bias of the manufacturer of a product toward that product’s efficacy, readers will hope to see verification of results in another study using slightly different methods and conducted by a capable, independent organization.
My question concerns the relationship between the two organizations involved in the study, which isn’t clear. Did Pfizer, manufacturer of the Listerine mouthrinse, hire the Dental Products Testing Co. to do the research, or was there some other relationship? Were ADA guidelines for financial disclosures satisfied in the article? The reader is entitled to enough information to assess possible bias in the study’s results.
