Effect of Nanocurcumin Mouthwash on Gingival Inflammation in Chronic Gingivitis

Antimicrobial products in form of mouthwash have an impressive effect on reducing plaque formation and gingivitis. These agents may aid in mechanical prevention and control of periodontal diseases. Chlorhexidine as the gold standard among these solutions has well-known side effects leading to introduction of some alternatives. With this background in mind, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of nanocurcumin mouthwash, a herbal mouthwash based on turmeric, on the treatment of chronic gingivitis. Moreover, the impact of this solution was compared with chlorhexidine. Thirty patients with generalized chronic gingivitis were included in the study. The participants were randomly divided into three groups of ten each. All the patients underwent scaling and root planning. In group one, two, and three, the patients were treated with chlorhexidine mouthwash, nanocurcumin mouthwash, and placebo, respectively. Gingival indices (GI), plaque indices (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP), and probing depth (PD) were all recorded pre-treatment, in addition to one, two, three, and four weeks post-treatment. The changes in GI, PI, BOP, and PD were analyzed. According to our findings, the clinical parameters showed improvement in all the three groups, compared to the baselines. When compared to the placebo group, both chlorhexidine and nanocurcumin groups were found to have significantly better outcomes (P<0.001). However, when comparing the chlorhexidine and curcumin groups, the differences regarding GI and BOP were not revealed to be statistically significant. The PI and PD were shown to have significantly better results in the post-treatment evaluations of the nanocurcumin group (P<0.001). The present study indicates that nanocurcumin is comparable to chlorhexidine as an anti-inflammatory mouthwash and results in higher improvements concerning some aspects. Therefore, nanocurcumin can be considered as an effective adjunct to mechanical periodontal therapy.