COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF FLAX SEED AND CHLORHEXIDINE MOUTHWASH IN THE TREATMENT OF GINGIVITIS – A CLINICO-IMMUNOLOGICAL STUDY

*Dr. Georgina George Ettiyil, Dr. Harsha Mysore Babu, Dr. Vivekananda M. R., Dr. Shivaprasad D., Dr. S. Ravindra

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: One of the noteworthy developments in this age of dentistry is that the dental practice is based on preventive measures and the surfacing of a philosophy. Chemical agents have been advocated as adjuncts to mechanical methods to augment the plaque control. Flax seed is known for its anti-inflammatory action. Studies evaluating its effects on gingivitis are scarce. Hence, the present study was aimed to compare and evaluate the efficacy of Flax seed as an anti-inflammatory agent with chlorhexidine gluconate in the treatment of plaque induced gingivitis. Materials and Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 30 subjects were randomly assigned to two groups with 15 subjects in each group, Group A received Scaling+ Flax seed mouthwash and Group B received Scaling + Chlorhexidine mouthwash. Clinical parameters like Plaque index (PI), Gingival index (GI), Sulcular Bleeding Index (PBI) and immunological parameters i.e., Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were assessed at baseline and at one month. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS software 2.0. Results: The results of the current study showed that the mean scores of PI, GI, SBI and the levels of IL-6 at baseline and at one month had consistently decreased to lower values in both Group A (7.586 ± 4.04) and Group B (11.716 ± 8.19) which was statistically significant on intragroup analysis. The results from baseline to one month were comparable on intergroup analysis with no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Flax seed mouthwash was found to be equally effective as chlorhexidine gluconate in treating chronic generalized gingivitis.

Keywords: Flax seed, Mouthwash, Gingivitis, Chlorhexidine Gluconate, Interleukin-6.