title: Effect of hydrogen peroxide mouthwash as an adjunct to chlorhexidine on stains and plaque.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the use of an oxidizing mouth rinse as an adjunct to chlorhexidine is efficacious in reducing stains and plaque.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study had a single-blind, three-group (n = 35 each) parallel design, including a 21 days experimental period during which group I rinsed with chlorhexidine (CHX) 0.2% alone, group II used chlorhexidine (CHX) followed by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) 1.5%. Group III rinsed with the same mouthwashes in reverse order. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. The examination for plaque, and stains was done after 1, 2, and 3 weeks of rinsing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group II showed significantly less stain intensity in comparison with group I after 14 and 21 days (P values 0.025 and 0.005, respectively). The proportion of stained surfaces was less in the group II than in the group I and was significant at the end of 1 week. The plaque formation was significantly less in groups II and III than group I at 7, 14, and 21 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The adjunctive use of hydrogen peroxide to chlorhexidine proved to be superior to chlorhexidine alone with regard to the inhibition of plaque and development of stains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, H.P. Govt. Dental College and Hospital, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Pravesh
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jhingta
authors.forename: Ashu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhardwaj
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Naresh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Vinay Kumar
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Bhardwaj
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vaid
keywords: Chlorhexidine; hydrogen peroxide; plaque; stain area; stain intensity