The efficacy of a herbal-based toothpaste in the control of plaque and gingivitis: a clinico-biochemical study.
OBJECTIVE
A double-blinded controlled clinical trial with parallel groups was designed to investigate the effectiveness of a herbal-based toothpaste in the control of plaque and gingivitis as compared with a conventional dentifrice. The efficacy of Colgate Herbal over Colgate tooth paste was assessed in this study.


METHODS
Thirty subjects with gingivitis participated in the study. All participants had at least 20 natural teeth with no probing depths greater than 3 mm and a plaque index score of 2 or more at baseline. At baseline, the clinical parameters like gingival index, plaque index and salivary pH were estimated. Paired t-test was used to compare the difference within the groups and unpaired t-test was used to compare the difference between the groups at baseline and on the 30th day.


RESULTS
At the end of the study, there were statistically significant reductions in the gingival index and the plaque index scores within the test group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the test and the control groups. The salivary pH changes were not statistically significant in the test group but were displaced more toward the acidic range in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
It was however concluded that the herbal-based toothpaste was as effective as the conventionally formulated dentifrice in the control of plaque and gingivitis.
Department of Periodontics, Yenepoya Dental College, Mangalore, India.
Jacob
J
George
Shashikant
S
Hegde
K S
KS
Rajesh
Arun
A
Kumar
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020843:Chamomile; D029744:Commiphora; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005052:Eucalyptus; D005459:Fluorides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008875:Middle Aged; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010710:Phosphates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008517:Phytotherapy; D012463:Saliva / Q000502:physiology; D027543:Salvia officinalis; D013729:Terpenes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014100:Toothpastes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D010710:Phosphates; D013729:Terpenes; D014100:Toothpastes; C012980:fluorophosphate; D002119:Calcium Carbonate; C014119:myrrh oil; D005459:Fluorides