Comparison of the efficacy of herbal mouth rinse with commercially available mouth rinses: A clinical trial

AIM: The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of an herbal mouthwash containing red ginseng extract with different brands of commercially available chemical mouthwashes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of herbal mouthwash (Dr. Dental care liquid) in reducing the oral bacterial count and compare it with the efficacy of commercially available mouthwashes such as Rexidine, Listerine and Colgate Plax. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study includes sixty normal individuals (aged 18–24 years) who were divided into four groups of 15 individuals each. The participants of each group were given four different mouthwashes (Dr. Dental Care liquid, Colgate Plax, Listerine and Rexidine) and asked to use it twice daily for 5 days. Saliva samples were collected before the use of mouthwash and also after 5 days of using the mouthwashes. Culture and microscopic examination of salivary samples was done, and oral bacterial load present in the saliva samples was counted before and after the mouth rinse use. RESULTS: The results were compared using Wilcoxon sign-rank test. Among the four mouthwashes, the herbal mouthwash, Dr. Dental care liquid exhibited maximum efficacy in reducing the amount of bacteria followed by Colgate Plax, Listerine and Rexidine. CONCLUSION: The herbal mouthwash, Dr. Dental care liquid, contains red ginseng extract, a herb with immense medicinal values. In this study, the herbal mouth rinse exhibited increased antibacterial action compared with other commercially available chemical mouth rinses. Hence, we conclude that the ginseng-containing herbal mouthwash can be considered as a safe and effective oral hygiene aid.