Effect of pomegranate mouthrinse on gingival health: A 21 day randomised controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of Punica granatum mouthrinse as compared to 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) on periodontal health. Settings and Design: This was a randomized controlled trial among patients aged ≥40 years selected from the outpatient department of Sudha Rustagi College of Dental Sciences and Research. Methodology: Fifty subjects diagnosed with chronic generalized gingivitis were selected and randomly divided into two groups, i.e., P. granatum mouthrinse group and CHX group. The mouthrinse extract was prepared using peel of P. granatum fruit. Patients were advised to use their prescribed mouthwash for 21 days. Clinical evaluation was done at baseline, 7 days, 14 days, and 21 days using the gingival index and the plaque index. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS Inc 21 software (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) was used. For inferential statistics, Friedman test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Mann–Whitney U-test were used. Results: There was significant improvement in gingival status in both the sites. Subjects using P. granatum rinse showed significant improvement in gingival scores as compared with CHX. In contrast, P. granatum was shown not to be so effective in reducing plaque scores. Conclusions: P. granatum rinse is beneficial in improving gingival status due to its profound styptic action, with sufficient reduction in plaque scores.