Effect of aloe vera mouthwash on dental plaque and gingivitis indices in children: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: There is a tendency nowadays to encourage the use of natural substances in dentistry. Aloe vera is one of these substances, which has recently gained great importance in clinical research. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of Aloe vera mouthwash in improving plaque, gingival and gingival bleeding indices in children. Materials and methods: The study sample consisted of (17) children [age: (8) to (12) years]. The crossover design was applied, which means that the three types of mouthwashes (experimental "Aloe vera", positive control "chlorhexidine", and negative control "placebo") would be used for all participants, with a washout period of (12) days. A special plaque guard was fabricated to facilitate localized plaque accumulation for (3) days. After that period, the mouthwashes were applied for (5) days. Plaque, gingival and gingival bleeding indices were studied before plaque accumulation (T0), after plaque accumulation (T1), and after applying the mouthwashes (T2). The values of plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI) and gingival bleeding index (GBI) were measured at each studied time point (T0, T1, and T2). Then, the differences between the values at the beginning of the use of each type of the mouthwashes and at the end of the period of there use were compared. Results: The results showed the efficacy of Aloe vera mouthwash in improving plaque, gingival and gingival bleeding indices, which was similar to chlorhexidine mouthwash effectiveness when both compared to the placebo mouthwash. Conclusions: The use of Aloe vera mouthwash is effective in improving oral health and preventing gingivitis. (c) 2020 Japanese Society of Pediatric Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.