Effect of sanguinaria extract on development of plaque and gingivitis when supragingivally delivered as a manual rinse or under pressure in an oral irrigator.

The effects on developing plaque and gingivitis following rinsing with a placebo oral rinse or an oral rinse containing 300 micrograms/ml sanguinaria extract (sanguinaria) were compared to effects produced by supragingival irrigation with dilute solutions of the rinse corresponding to 22.5 micrograms/ml sanguinaria and 90 micrograms/ml sanguinaria. The study design was a repeated measures, single-blind crossover with no oral hygiene over 2 weeks duration. After 7 and 14 [corrected] days, significantly lower plaque and gingivitis scores were obtained with use of the sanguinaria-containing rinse and irrigating solutions compared with the placebo rinse. There were no significant differences in plaque and gingivitis scores between the groups using the sanguinaria rinse and the sanguinaria irrigating solutions. A comparison [corrected] of % distribution of 0, 1 and 2+ scores also indicated that rinsing and supragingival irrigation with sanguinaria was more effective in plaque and gingivitis control than rinsing with the placebo. The results suggest that sanguinaria oral rinse may be effective in controlling plaque and gingivitis when delivered by manual rinsing or supragingival irrigation.