J Clin Dent. 1998 ; 9(4): 97-100.

The ability of an herbal mouthrinse to reduce gingival bleeding.

Scherer W, Gultz J, Lee SS, Kaim J.

New York University College of Dentistry, NY, USA. [email protected]

Forty healthy adult volunteers from the Junior Comprehensive Care Clinics at New York University College of Dentistry were accepted as subjects for this three-month, examiner-blinded, parallel-group clinical trial. To be eligible for a baseline clinical examination, subjects had to first indicate that during the previous six months they habitually brushed their teeth two or more times per day and had noticed "bleeding gums" or "blood in the toothpaste" after brushing or after flossing their teeth. At the baseline examination, subjects were enrolled in the study if they were found to have at least five LÃ¶e-Silness gingival bleeding sites and 20 natural teeth, including four molars. Subjects were assigned to one of the two following treatment groups: 1) Herbal Mouth and Gum Therapy; or 2) Control (distilled water and dye). Subjects were instructed to clean their teeth in their usual manner, not to use any other mouthrinses or oral irrigation products for the duration of the study. Subjects were to return for clinical examinations after three months of product use. At these examinations, gingivitis and gingival bleeding scores were recorded. An independent t-test before treatment indicated that there were no significant differences between the baseline evaluations of the two groups in the study. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), comparing gingivitis and bleeding scores from baseline and three months with the baseline scores as a covariate, indicated that Herbal Mouth and Gum Therapy produced a statistically significant effect (p < 0.01) on both parameters relative to the control mouthrinse. The results of this study support the clinical efficacy of Herbal Mouth and Gum Therapy in reducing gingivitis and gingival bleeding.