Pomegranate mouth rinse should be explored as a long-term antiplaque rinse with prophylactic benefits, according to a new study in Quintessence International (January 2011, Vol. 42:1, pp. 29-36).
The study authors divided 30 periodontally healthy volunteers into three groups and randomly assigned three different mouth rinses: pomegranate, chlorhexidine, or distilled water (placebo) twice daily.
The subjects' plaque index (PI) was assessed at days 0 and 5. Pomegranate extract was tested against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.), Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g.), and Prevotella intermedia (P.i.).
Results from the study included the following:
- Use of the pomegranate mouth rinse resulted in no adverse effects.
- There was a statistically significant difference between the chlorhexidine and placebo rinses and the pomegranate and placebo rinses, but no statistically significant difference was found between the chlorhexidine and pomegranate rinses with respect to PI.
- Pomegranate extract showed inhibition of all three strains of periodontopathogens at various concentrations.
"These results indicate that the pomegranate mouth rinse has an antiplaque effect," concluded the study authors. "Pomegranate extract is efficacious against A.a., P.g., and P.i. strains in vitro."
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