Efficacy of Ocimum sanctum, Aloe vera and chlorhexidine mouthwash on gingivitis: A randomized controlled comparative clinical study

BACKGROUND: The medicinal plants are widely used for curing various diseases in day-to-day practice. Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) is one such popular herb in Ayurvedic medicine, which is widely used in the treatment of several systemic diseases because of its antimicrobial property. Aloe vera is also widely known for its medicinal uses in wound healing and its anti-inflammatory properties. However, studies documenting the effect of O. sanctum and A. vera in treating gingivitis are rare. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of two herbal mouthwashes in comparison with chlorhexidine mouthwash on gingivitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial, wherein sixty patients were randomly allocated into three study groups. (1) O. sanctum mouthwash (n = 20) (2) A. vera mouthwash (n = 20) and (3) Chlorhexidine mouthwash (n = 20). All groups were treated with scaling and asked to rinse with respective mouthwashes twice daily for 1 month. Clinical parameters such as plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and sulcus bleeding index (BI) were recorded at baseline, after 15 days and after 30 days, respectively. RESULTS: Results of the study showed that O. sanctum, A. vera and chlorhexidine are equally effective in reducing plaque, gingival, and bleeding indices at 30-day interval. However, no significant reductions in PI, GI and BI in 15-day interval in group 1 and group 2 when compared with chlorhexidine were evident. CONCLUSION: The results in the present study indicate that O. sanctum and A. vera may prove to be as effective as chlorhexidine mouthwash in its ability in reducing all the three indices by reducing plaque accumulation, gingival inflammation and bleeding when used in the long-term follow-up.