Effect of octenidine mouthwash on plaque, gingivitis, and oral microbial growth: A systematic review

Octenidine dihydrochloride is an antimicrobial cationic surfactant compound. We conducted a systematic review to determine the efficacy of octenidine-based mouthwash on plaque formation, gingivitis, and oral microbial growth in subjects with or without periodontal disease.

PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant studies. The review was conducted per PRISMA guidelines. Only randomized controlled trials and observational studies comparing octenidine with placebo or other mouthwashes in healthy subjects with or without periodontal disease, were considered for this review. The endpoints included percentage reduction in plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), absolute reduction in the mean number of colony-forming units (CFU/ml [log₁₀ ]) and adverse effects (AEs; tooth staining/mucosal tolerance).

Ten randomized controlled and six observational studies fulfilled the selection criteria. Twice or thrice daily rinsing with 0.1% octenidine for 30-60 s produced significant reduction in plaque, gingivitis and oral microbial growth. Compared to control mouthwash or baseline, 0.1% octenidine inhibited plaque formation by ~38.7%-92.9%, which was either equal or greater than that of chlorhexidine gluconate. 0.1% octenidine reduced gingivitis by ~36.4%-68.37% versus control mouthwash or baseline and microbial growth by 0.37-5.3 colony-forming units (vs. chlorhexidine: 0.4-4.23 colony-forming units). Additional benefits of 0.1% octenidine were significant reduction in the number of bleeding sites, papilla bleeding index, sulcus bleeding index, and gingival fluid flow.

Within the limitations of this study, there exists moderate evidence that 0.1% OCT was found to be an effective antiplaque agent. Octenidine inhibited plaque formation upto 93% and gingivitis upto 68% versus placebo and was either superior or comparable to chlorhexidine. Octenidine was well-tolerated and safe and can be an effective alternative to CHX and other contemporary mouthwashes.