Güneş, Candan Pelin2025-05-222025-05-222025Güneş, C. P. (2025). Clinical and microbiological evaluation of the efficacy of herbal mouthwashes in gingivitis. (Yayınlanmamış doktora tezi). Altınbaş Üniversitesi, Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü, İstanbul.https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12939/5751OBJECTIVE: This randomize controlled clinical trial (RCT) aims to clinically and microbiologically evaluate the effectiveness of different herbal mouthwashes as an adjunct treatment to non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) in patients with gingivitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 52 patients diagnosed with gingivitis were incorporated into the RCT and categorized into four groups as follows: Tea tree oil (Tebodont®), thyme hydrosol (Arifoglu®), essential oil (Listerine®), and placebo. The patients were advised to wash with15 ml of prescribed mouthwash twice a day for a period of 3 rd months after NSPT. Clinical periodontal measurements; including plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI) and probing pocket depth (PPD) and microbiological sampling, were performed before enrollment and in 3 rd months. Plaque samples were examined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). RESULTS: All four groups had significant reductions in PI, GI, and PPD levels from beginning to the third month (p<0.05). Intergroup comparisons demonstrated a significantly higher reduction in PPD in the essential oil and thyme hydrosol groups compared to the control group (p<0.05). The PI reduction was significantly higher in the tea tree oil group when comparing with the essential oil group at the third month (p<0.05). The essential oil group exhibited the least drop in GI scores. The levels of P. gingivalis significantly decreased in all groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: It has been demonstrated that, with regular use, herbal mouth rinses are effective and may serve as an however, studies with a positive control group, larger study population and longer period are needed to further evaluate the efficacy of herbal mouthwashes. Also, in-vitro studies to clarify the mechanism of anti-bacterial action of herbal mouthwashes are needed.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessGingivitisEssential OilTea Tree OilThymeqPCRDoctoral Thesis928230