BACKGROUND

Dental plaque and gingivitis are prevalent conditions that can be controlled using antimicrobial mouthwashes.

AIM AND DESIGN

This double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial aims to compare the effectiveness of 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) mouthwashes in managing dental plaque, gingivitis, microbial counts, and saliva pH.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 95 medical students were randomly divided into three groups: Group I (control group), 0.9% sodium chloride; Group II, 0.12% CHX mouthwash; and Group III, AgNPs mouthwash. Clinical parameters evaluated on the baseline and 21stday included the gingival index, Quigley-Hein plaque index (QHI), microbial counts, and saliva pH. The analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey post-hoc test, and paired t-tests were implemented.

RESULTS

The QHI in Group II decreased from 2.66 ± 0.75 to 1.97 ± 0.61 after 21 days (p < 0.001). Specifically for the QHI, there is a statistically significant difference between Group II and Group III, while there is no statistically significant difference when comparing the two groups in other clinical indices, and both groups showed a noticeable improvement after 21 days of use.

CONCLUSIONS

Both 0.12% CHX and AgNPs mouthwashes are appropriate alternative options for daily oral hygiene. However, CHX mouthwash should still be prioritized for plaque control.