Essential Oils Mouth Rinse and Dental Floss: Efficacy on Interproximal Gingivitis and Dental Plaque Accumulation

Summary

It is difficult to obtain patient's compliance with regular interproximal dental hygiene. Dental floss is recognized as an effective procedure to remove dental plaque and prevent gingivitis in the space between teeth, but it is difficult to use and most patients do no do it regularly. Essential oils mouthrinse acts on dental plaque bacteria and helps on gingivitis prevention. These properties may be of interest to control dental plaque accumulation and gingivitis in interproximal areas. The study hypothesis states that there are no differences between the use of an essential oils mouthrinse and dental floss on the reduction of dental plaque accumulation and gingivitis.

Timeline

Start

2007-09

Primary completion

2008-01

Completion

2008-09

Publications

• Background Barnett ML. The rationale for the daily use of an antimicrobial mouthrinse. J Am Dent Assoc. 2006 Nov;137 Suppl:16S-21S. doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.2006.0408.
• Background Bauroth K, Charles CH, Mankodi SM, Simmons K, Zhao Q, Kumar LD. The efficacy of an essential oil antiseptic mouthrinse vs. dental floss in controlling interproximal gingivitis: a comparative study. J Am Dent Assoc. 2003 Mar;134(3):359-65. doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.2003.0167.
• Background Gordon JM, Lamster IB, Seiger MC. Efficacy of Listerine antiseptic in inhibiting the development of plaque and gingivitis. J Clin Periodontol. 1985 Sep;12(8):697-704. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-051x.1985.tb00941.x.
• Background Sharma N, Charles CH, Lynch MC, Qaqish J, McGuire JA, Galustians JG, Kumar LD. Adjunctive benefit of an essential oil-containing mouthrinse in reducing plaque and gingivitis in patients who brush and floss regularly: a six-month study. J Am Dent Assoc. 2004 Apr;135(4):496-504. doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.2004.0217.
• Background Sharma NC, Charles CH, Qaqish JG, Galustians HJ, Zhao Q, Kumar LD. Comparative effectiveness of an essential oil mouthrinse and dental floss in controlling interproximal gingivitis and plaque. Am J Dent. 2002 Dec;15(6):351-5.

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