Microbiological Effects of Two Mouthrinses in a Double-Blinded Crossover Study

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two mouth rinses: Chlorhexidine (CHX) and the herbal based StellaLife^Ò (SL) on microbiome of the oral cavity using saliva samples obtained from healthy students.
Methods: A total of 31 participants were recruited for the study. Oral examination, periodontal charting, saliva test via spitting into a tube and professional periodontal cleaning were completed. Participants were placed in Group A or B; Group A and Group B were given treatment of mouth rinse products A and B, respectively. Both groups were given instructions to avoid tooth brushing or flossing for 2 weeks and only rinse with mouth rinse and gel provided. After 2 weeks, participants were re-evaluated with intra-oral examination, saliva testing and prophylaxis. Participants then swapped mouth rinses A with B and vice versa. After another 2 weeks, all participants were re-evaluated once more. Bacterial count was determined using external laboratory Direct Diagnostics via PCR test. Data analyses was performed using SPSS ver. 26 (IBM, Armonk, NY)
Results: Mean values for bacteria after CHX use measured in genome copies/ml for A.a., P. gingivalis, T. denticola, T. forsythia and F. nucleatum were the following: 4.03x10⁴_, 1.29x10⁴, 6.93x10⁴_, 2.99x10⁵, 1.59x10⁷, respectively. Mean values for bacteria after SL use measured in genome copies/ml for A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, T. denticola, T. forsythia and F. nucleatum were the following: 7.63x10⁴_, 1.08x10⁵, 7.16x10⁴_, 3.04x10⁵, 1.84x10⁷, respectively. A statistical difference between the two groups was not found (p>0.05).
Conclusions: No significant differences found between CHX and SL use in respect to periodontal pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity.