Health from the Hive: 5% Propolis Mouth Wash as an Adjunct in the Treatment of Chronic Generalized Gingivitis-A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Gingival diseases affect 80% of the adult population in India and are considered to be plaque initiated inflammatory conditions with the presence of pathogenic bacteria. The term, Gingivitis means inflammation of the gums or gingiva. Gingivitis is a non-destructive type of periodontal disease if left untreated gingivitis can progress to periodontitis. Thus it can eventually lead to loss of teeth. It is a well-known fact that all periodontitis are initiated by gingivitis. Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of 5% propolis mouth wash in chronic generalized gingivitis and also to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of 5% propolis mouth wash with respect to the chlorhexidine mouth wash. Method: A total of 45 randomly selected patients (lottery method) between the age group of 18-70 years were selected for the study and grouped as follows: Group I with 15 patients who were treated with 5% propolis mouth wash. Group II with 15 patients were treated with chlorhexidine mouth wash controlled group and Group III with 15 patients were treated with normal saline (placebo). Result: The results indicated that there was a significant improvement in clinical parameters (p<0.05) in group 1 at the end of the study. Conclusion: Our study data showed that propolis mouthwash is more effective than other mouth washes on plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation. The study suggests that propolis can be used as a natural mouthwash, an alternative to chemical mouthwashes, e.g., chlorhexidine.