Sulfonated vinyl aromatic homopolymers and copolymers as dental plaque barriers

An oral hygiene composition comprising an effective amount for preventing deposition of dental plaque on teeth of a sulfonated vinylaromatic polymer of at least 50% by weight of at least one repeating unit selected from the group consisting of structure (A), ##STR13## and from 0 to 50% by weight of a repeating unit selected from the group consisting of structure (D), ##STR14## wherein R.sub.1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, linear or branched lower alkyl of up to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1-20 carbon atoms, fluorine, chlorine, and bromine;

• R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl;
• R.sub.4 is hydrogen or an alkyl group of 1-18 carbon atoms;
• and R.sub.5 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl, chlorine, bromine, and phenyl, q, which is the average number of sulfonate groups per aromatic groups, has a value in the range of from about 0.3 to about 2.6, p is either zero or a number equal to the value of q, M is selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, hydrogen and the ammonium salt derived from ammonia or a pharmaceutically-acceptable organic amine, said polymer having an average molecular weight in the range of about 500 to about 2,000,000 in a pharmaceutically-acceptable oral hygiene vehicle compatible with said polymer.