A comparative evaluation of the efficacy of curcumin and chlorhexidine mouthrinses on clinical inflammatory parameters of gingivitis: A double-blinded randomized controlled clinical study

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of 0.1% curcumin mouthwash and to compare it with 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate as an antiplaque agent and its effect on gingival inflammation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty subjects, age between 20 and 30 years were recruited. Study population were randomly divided into three groups. In Group A, 50 subjects were advised the experimental mouthwash. Group B subjects used placebo mouthrinse, and chlorhexidine mouth wash was given to Group C. The subjects were advised to use 10 ml of mouthwash for 1 min twice a day 30 min after brushing. Parameters were recorded for plaque, gingival, and sulcus bleeding indices at day 0, 7, 14, and 28 days along with subjective assessment of taste. RESULTS: On intragroup comparison between curcumin, chlorhexidine, and placebo mouthwash, the mean percentage reduction of the plaque index (PI) between 0 and 28 days were 0.58,0.57 and 1.17, respectively (P < 0.01), percentage reduction of gingival index (GI) between 0 and 28 days were 0.65, 0.66, and 1.09, respectively (P < 0.01) and sulcus bleeding index (SBI) showed a percentage reduction of 0.69, 0.66, and 1.13, respectively The intergroup comparison revealed chlorhexidine and curcumin mouthwash were statistically significant with P < 0.001 as compared to placebo. CONCLUSION: Curcumin mouthwash has shown an antiplaque and antigingivitis properties comparable to chlorhexidine mouthwash. Thus, curcumin mouthwash and chlorhexidine gluconate can be effectively used as an adjunct to scaling and root planning.