Background: Plaque control is one of the main issues after crown lengthening surgery. It is advised to use mouthwashes since mechanical plaque control is not possible due to the presence of the wound. Thus, the present study aims to compare the effectiveness of Persica and Protact mouthwash on gingival healing after crown lengthening surgery.
Materials and methods: In this double-blind clinical trial, 33 candidates were randomly divided into three groups (n = 11). The first group used 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthwash; the second group used Persica mouthwash; and the third group used Protact mouthwash. Patients were followed for 14 days and changes in their plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), stain index (SI), tongue taste, and color were recorded. Data were analyzed using SPSS V.22 using the Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon, and Chi-square tests. The significance level was considered to be < 0.05.
Results: The PI decreases significantly after 14 days in the CHX group (P = 0.011), however, this difference was not significant in the other two groups. Moreover, the GI and SI were not significantly different in any of the groups (P > 0.05). The changes in the tongue color and taste were only observed in the CHX group and patient dissatisfaction was higher in this group.
Conclusion: CHX is the gold standard for patients who have undergone clinical crown lengthening surgery; nevertheless, considering its side effects and bad taste, Persica and Protact herbal mouthwashes can be used in more sensitive and uncooperative individuals.
Keywords: Crown lengthening; dental plaque index; mouthwash; periodontal index.
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