Comparative Evaluation of Efficacy of Green Tea Mouth Rinse and Green Tea Gel on the Salivary and Colony Count in 12-18-year-old Teenagers: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

AIMS

Green tea is an antibacterial agent with no significant side effect. This feature makes green tea safe for children to use. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of green tea gel and mouth rinse on salivary level of and of teenagers aged 12-18 years.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In this randomized controlled clinical trial study, 30 children aged 12-18 years were included in the study according to the inclusion criteria and were randomly divided into two groups. Participants in mouth rinse group were asked to rinse their mouth with 0.5% green tea mouthwash twice a day for 2 weeks. In the gel group, participants were requested to brush their teeth with 0.5% green tea gel twice a day for 2 weeks. After 4 weeks of washout period, mouthwash group applied the gel and the gel group rinsed the mouthwash for 2 weeks and with the same instruction as mentioned. Colony count of and was determined before and after intervention and data were analyzed using test.

RESULTS

According to the independent test, there was no significant difference in the salivary levels of S. mutans before and after intervention regarding age and gender ( = 0.33). Results from paired -test showed significant decrease in the mean count of and colonies in both groups before and after intervention ( < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Green tea gel and mouthwash contribute to a significant reduction of salivary levels of and colonies, with a greater effect of mouthwash than the green tea gel, which was not statistically significant.