Anti-plaque effect of zinc citrate measured

Toothpaste accounts for 40% of this market globally, but takes a higher share of sales in less developed markets such as China, India and Vietnam, while mouthwash represents the smallest category with 14% of sales. In contrast to matured western markets, which are showing only moderate growth of around 3%, Russia, Brazil, India and China are experiencing over twice this growth rate.² 

With consumers worried about many oral health issues, high performance and multifunctionality have become key success factors for oral care products. Particularly in the saturated markets, most manufacturers ensure that their products tackle various problems, such as preventing cavities, providing anti-bacterial properties and removing plaque. However, further functionality has become a major focus, namely whitening, breath-freshening, or featuring fortification to help strengthen teeth and gums to take oral hygiene beyond basic teeth cleaning. 

One ingredient group with increasing popularity in oral care products are zinc salts and in particular zinc citrate, the zinc salt of citric acid. The effect of zinc salts on oral health has been researched for decades, while the first clinical studies on zinc citrate were published at the beginning of the 1980s.3,4 Commercial products utilising zinc citrate became available in the late 1980s. Zinc salts have manifold functionalities in oral care products; they display antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects and clinical studies have shown their ability to reduce or inhibit the formation of dental plaque and tartar and their positive effects on gingivitis.^5–9 Additionally, zinc controls bad breath through both its antimicrobial action and by the neutralisation of volatile sulphur compounds responsible for malodour.¹⁰