Clinical evaluation of the plaque inhibitory effect of aloe vera-containing mouth rinse in a 4-day plaque regrowth model

The unveiling of an alternative chemotherapeutic agent to chlorhexidine formulations with same efficacy and less side effects is necessitated for chemical plaque control and treatment of gingivitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and patient perception of a combination mouth rinse containing aloe vera and chlorine dioxide (ALV+ClO2) as active ingredients compared to 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) and distilled water (DW) in a 4-day plaque regrowth model with a crossover design. Total of 33 systemically and periodontally healthy subjects were included and randomly assigned into one of three treatments that have different sequences with a 10-day washout period. Subjects were asked to refrain from mechanical oral hygiene and only rinse with the allocated mouth rinse twice a day during the 4-day period. Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) volume were evaluated at baseline and the fourth day of each period. Satisfaction questionnaire was performed at the end of each treatment period. Regarding the primary outcome, statistically significant changes in PI scores were detected between the treatments (ALV+ClO2), CHX and DW (p˂0.05) in favor of the CHX mouth rinse. Although VAS score of (ALV+ClO2) was less than CHX in terms of mouth cleanliness, it had better taste perception and subject preference with less negative impact on mouth dryness, sensitivity, burning, numbness and no tooth staining compared to CHX. It was concluded that (ALV+ClO2) rinse has a less plaque-inhibitory effect than that of CHX, but has a better patient perception and preference.