Archives

Background: Dental plaque, deposition of microorganisms embedded in extracellular matrix, initiates
dental caries and periodontal diseases. Thus, removal of dental plaque by mechanical or chemical means
is the key intervention in prevention of dental caries and gingivitis.
Methods: To compare the efficacy of chlorhexidine (0.2%) and sodium fluoride (0.05%) mouthwashes in
reduction of plaque deposition, 75 children of age group 8-14 years were divided in three equal groups.
Group A and group B were test groups for chlorhexidine and sodium fluoride respectively and group C
was control group. The subjects were instructed to rinse the mouth with 10 ml of mouthwash for one
minute twice daily for fifteen days. Amount of plaque was analyzed by Silness and Loe index at the
beginning and end of the study period. Inter group and intra group comparisons were done to evaluate
the efficacy of mouthwashes by using paired t test and Anova test.
Results: There was significant reduction in plaque in both test groups (p= 0.000) whereas in control
group, there was no significant reduction in amount of plaque (p=0.100) count. Efficacy of the both
mouthwashes was statistically equal.
Conclusion: Sodium fluoride is as potent antimicrobial agent as chlorhexidine and would be better
mouthwash due to its additional remineralization property for prevention of dental caries and gingivitis
in children.

chlorhexidine, dental caries, gingivitis, plaque, sodium fluoride.