The Plaque Inhibitory Effect of Aloe Vera Mouthrinse in A Four Day De Novo Plaque Formation Model- A Randomized, Double Blind Crossover Study

Abstract

Mechanical oral hygiene procedures are most widely accepted procedures for controlling bacterial plaque, but these methods have certain limitations. Based on several clinical trials, chlorhexidine mouthrinse have been accepted as a benchmark to be used as an adjunct to mechanical oral hygiene aids, however it is associated with side effects in its long term use. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the antiplaque efficacy of a herbal Aloe vera mouthrinse and compare it to gold standard Chlorhexidine. A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, three group crossover, four day de novo plaque accumulation model was used. Study involved three experimental phases with a ten day washout period in between each phase. Twelve student volunteers were refrained from all oral hygiene measures for four days, but rinsed twice daily with 10 ml of one of the randomly assigned mouthrinse (chlorhexidine, Aloe vera, and placebo mouthrinse) in each test phase. Plaque index and plaque area was measured on day four. The Aloe vera mouthrinse showed a significant inhibition of plaque re-growth compared to placebo (P<0.0001), but the lowest values of plaque index and plaque area were obtained with chlorhexidine. The study concluded that Aloe vera has a promising plaque inhibitory potential but is not as efficacious as chlorhexidine in preventing plaque re-growth.