Effect of adjunctive use of green tea dentifrice in periodontitis patients - A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Green tea is known to possess anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant activities. This study evaluated the effect of a locally prepared green tea dentifrice on specific parameters assessing gingival inflammation and severity of periodontal disease, when used as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the management of chronic periodontitis by comparing with a fluoride-triclosan-containing control dentifrice.

Thirty patients, with mild to moderate chronic periodontitis, were randomly allocated into two treatment groups, 'test' and 'control' after initial SRP. The test group was given green tea dentifrice with instructions on method of brushing, while the control group received a commercially available fluoride and triclosan containing dentifrice. Clinical parameters of Gingival Index (GI), Plaque Index (PI), percentage of sites with bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) along with biochemical parameters of total antioxidant capacity (TAOC) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) were recorded at baseline line and 4 weeks post-SRP.

Intragroup analysis at 4 weeks showed statistically significant improvements of GI, PI, BOP, PD, CAL and TAOC in both groups. GST activity however, was increased only in the test group. At the end of the study period, the test group showed statistically significant improvements in GI, BOP, CAL, TAOC and GST levels compared to the control group.

On comparison with fluoride-triclosan dentifrice, green tea showed greater reduction of gingival inflammation and improved periodontal parameters. Green tea dentifrice may serve as a beneficial adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy.