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Efficacy of Green Tea Extract-Impregnated Dental Floss Compared to Chlorhexidine and Conventional Floss in Reducing
Nagarajappa Sandesh1, Ruqaiyah Johar1, Prashant Mishra1
1Public Health Dentistry, Sri Aurobindo College of Dentistry, Sri Aurobindo University, Indore, India.
Objective:
To evaluate and compare the efficacy of 5% green tea extract-impregnated dental floss and 5% Chlorhexidine gluconate-impregnated dental floss in reducing supragingival plaque and gingival bleeding.
Methods:
A double-blind, parallel-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted among 60 healthy adults (20-25 years). Participants were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 15 each): 5% Green tea extract-impregnated dental floss (GTE-DF), 5% Chlorhexidine gluconate-impregnated dental floss (CHX-DF), waxed dental floss (W-DF) and toothbrushing only (TB). Following baseline supragingival scaling, participants were instructed to use the assigned oral hygiene regimen twice daily for 15 days. Clinical assessments were performed at baseline, 7 and 15 days using the Turesky Modified Quigley-Hein Plaque Index and Modified Sulcular Bleeding Index. Non-parametric analyses were performed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman tests with post hoc analysis comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results:
Significant intergroup differences were observed for both plaque accumulation and gingival bleeding at 7- and 15-day follow-up (p = 0.001). At day 15, the CHX-DF group demonstrated the lowest mean plaque score (0.75 ± 0.08), followed by GTE-DF (0.86 ± 0.11) and W-DF (1.06 ± 0.09). Plaque reduction was comparable between CHX-DF and GTE-DF (p > 0.05). Gingival bleeding was significantly lower in the CHX-DF group compared to all other groups at both follow-ups (p ≤ 0.014). GTE-DF also demonstrated significantly greater reductions in gingival bleeding than W-DF and TB groups (p ≤ 0.008).
Conclusion:
Both CHX-DF and GTE-DF effectively reduced supragingival plaque and gingival inflammation compared with conventional flossing and toothbrushing alone. Although GTE-DF demonstrated antiplaque efficacy comparable to CHX-DF, CHX-DF showed superior anti-inflammatory efficacy in reducing gingival bleeding.
Trial Registration:
Clinical Trial Registry of India registration number: CTRI/2023/09/057159.