Effect of probiotic mouthwashes in comparison to chlorhexidine on periodontal health

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of Chlorhexidine and Probiotic mouthwashes in reducing plaque accumulation and gingivitis. Materials and methods: PubMed, Ovid SP, Embase, and Google Scholar databases were searched from years 1980 upto April 2020 for potential papers using relevant MeSH terms and pre-specified inclusion and exclusion criteria by two independent reviewers. Studies comparing Probiotics and Chlorhexidine in mouthwash form were included and evaluated for outcomes such as plaque score, gingival score. Results: A total of eleven articles were included for qualitative analysis, among them seven studies qualified for quantitative analysis. Random effects model was carried out to perform meta-analysis, basing on heterogeneity. Plaque index (PI): Significant reduction of plaque scores post-intervention were found when compared to baseline in both Probiotic mouthwash group [p=0.00001, MD: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.41 to 1.33] and chlorhexidine mouthwash groups [p=0.00001, MD: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.66 to 1.28]. No significant intergroup difference was found between Chlorhexidine and Probiotic mouthwash groups (p= 0.73). Gingival index (GI): Significant reduction of gingival index scores post-intervention were found when compared to baseline in both Probiotic mouthwash group [p=0.001, MD: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.77] and chlorhexidine mouthwash groups [p=0.0001, MD: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.68].