Effect of Aloe Vera Mouthwashes on the Oral Health of Children

Summary

Prevention of dental problems by controlling plaque is the best solution to maintain oral health and prevent high cost of dental treatments. Home oral care is the cornerstone in removing plaque and therefore controlling tooth decay and gum disease. Unfortunately, complete plaque removal is difficult to achieve by mechanical methods alone. For effective plaque control antiplaque agents such as chlorhexidine mouthwash is necessary. Chlorhexidine has shown distinct advantage, but it has many side effects such as staining of the teeth and the tongue, altered taste sensation, and increased calculus formation often deters its use for long periods. Recently the use of herbal mouthwashes is rising due to the widespread awareness that natural substances have less side effects and lower economic cost. Of various plant extracts used as a base for mouthwashes, aloe vera deserves a special attention as it has recently been introduced in dentistry after years of use in medicine field. Many recent studies stated that aloe vera mouthwashes has shown efficiency in plaque control and prevention of gingivitis, but there is a need for more studies to determine the best protocols regarding concentration and frequency of its use. A review of the literature shows that there is no randomized controlled trials evaluating its efficiency in plaque control and prevention of gingivitis in children, which is the main purpose of this study.

Timeline

Start

2019-03-01

Primary completion

2019-06-30

Completion

2019-08-30

Publications

• Background Ajmera N, Chatterjee A, Goyal V. Aloe vera: It's effect on gingivitis. J Indian Soc Periodontol. 2013 Jul;17(4):435-8. doi: 10.4103/0972-124X.118312.
• Background Gupta RK, Gupta D, Bhaskar DJ, Yadav A, Obaid K, Mishra S. Preliminary antiplaque efficacy of aloe vera mouthwash on 4 day plaque re-growth model: randomized control trial. Ethiop J Health Sci. 2014 Apr;24(2):139-44. doi: 10.4314/ejhs.v24i2.6.
• Background Manipal S, Hussain S, Wadgave U, Duraiswamy P, Ravi K. The Mouthwash War - Chlorhexidine vs. Herbal Mouth Rinses: A Meta-Analysis. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016 May;10(5):ZC81-3. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2016/16578.7815. Epub 2016 May 1.
• Background Pilloni A, Pizzo G, Barlattani A, Di Lenarda R, Giannoni M, Guida L, Levrini L, Majorana A, Polimeni A. Perceived and measurable performance of daily brushing and rinsing with an essential oil mouthrinse. Ann Stomatol (Roma). 2010 Jul;1(3-4):29-32. Epub 2011 Feb 13.
• Background Saha S, Mohammad S, Saha S, Samadi F. Efficiency of traditional chewing stick (miswak) as an oral hygiene aid among Muslim school children in Lucknow: A cross-sectional study. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2012 Sep-Dec;2(3):176-80. doi: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2012.10.009. Epub 2012 Oct 24.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.