Bacterial growth inhibition and short-term clinical efficacy of a vegetable oil-based mouthrinse: preliminary study

Bacterial growth of a vegetable oil-based product was determined in vitro. Growth of Streptococcus mutans and Veillonella alcalescens was strongly inhibited for dilutions up to 50x. On the basis of these results, it was decided to evaluate the short-term, clinical efficacy of a 1:10 dilution of the concentrated product in water. Fifteen human volunteers employed this rinse twice-a-day during a six-day period. Planimetric plaque scores, as well as the plaque and gingival indexes according to Löe, were assessed at the beginning and end of this period. The efficacy of such a rinse, though less than of chlorhexidine-based products, turned out comparable to several other commercially available products with a reasonable potential in maintaining a low gingival index.