The effect of 10% forest honey rinsing on dental plaque score for children aged 9–12 years

Background: Effective plaque control can be achieved mechanically (by toothbrushing), but there are alternatives such as mouthwashes. However, recently, mouthwashes have been shown to have adverse effects on oral health. Honey is an herbal medicine that is easy to find, and it has antibacterial and has no side effects on oral health. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of rinsing with a 10% forest honey mouthwash on the dental plaque score of children aged 9–12 years. Methods: The study was quasi-experimental and used a pre- and posttest, control group design. A total of 52 children (students 9–12 years) were divided into two groups with identical mean plaque scores. The control group rinsed with distilled water and the test group rinsed with a forest honey (10%) solution. The children were instructed to rinse three times daily for 30 s with 10 ml of mouthwash and to continue for 4 days. The data were analyzed using the dependent and independent t-test. Results: The results showed a significant difference in the dental plaque score for the test group (P < 0.001): the pretest average was 2.22 ± 0.59 and the posttest (after 4 days of rinsing) was 1.51 ± 0.57. The dental plaque score for the control group (rinsing with distilled water) showed an insignificant increase (P > 0.05) from the pretest (2.18 ± 0.73) to the posttest (2.22 ± 0.89). Conclusion: Rinsing with a forest honey solution has a positive effect on the reduction of dental plaque in children aged 9–12 years.