Effect of Green Tea Mouthwash on Gingival Indices in Gingivitis Patients

Gingivitis is the most common inflammatory gingival disease, which is characterized by redness, swelling, and bleeding and can be induced by local factors, such as dental plaque. The management or prevention of this disease can be accomplished by the aid of teeth scaling, medications (e.g., non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), and health education. Today, the use of medicinal herbs has been considered in the preparation of many drugs. Regarding this, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of a green tea extract mouthwash on plaque-induced gingivitis.
This double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 50 patients suffering from plaque-induced gingivitis within the age range of 18-60 years. The study population was selected using the table of random numbers, and then divided into two groups of case and control. The case group used green tea mouthwash, while the control group utilized chlorhexidine mouthwash. The plaque index (PI; Loe and Silness), gingival index (GI; OLeary), and bleeding index (BI) were measured at the baseline, as well as one and two months later. Data analysis was performed in SPSS (version 22) by paired sample t-test and repeated measures test.
According to the results, each study group showed a significant difference in terms of the PI, GI, and BI (P As the findings indicated, similar to the use of chlorhexidine mouthwash, green tea mouthwash, along with hygiene education (including brushing three times a day and using dental floss), can be effective in the treatment of bleeding caused by gingivitis, reduction of plaque, and mitigation of gingival inflammation.