Evaluation of Hypericum perforatum mother tincture as an antigingivitis agent in comparison with Chlorhexidine: A randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Homoeopathic medicine Hypericum perforatum (Hyper.) has antimicrobial, wound healing and anti inflammatory activity. It has been used as an analgesic postextraction, for nerve pain, burning mouth syndrome singly, or in combination with other Homoeopathy medications. Objective: Evaluation of the efficacy of Hyper. Q in reducing dental plaque and gingival inflammation. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and eighteen participants with chronic gingivitis (probing depth ≤ 3 mm) and bleeding gums were recruited and allocated randomly into three groups (n = 106 each): Group A (saline mouthwash), Group B (Hyper.) and Group C (Chlorhexidine [CHX]). Clinical parameters: Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), sulcus bleeding index (SBI) and oral hygiene index simplified (OHIS) were measured at baseline, first, third and sixth month. Results: All the three groups showed a statistically significant reduction in the PI, GI, SBI and OHIS (P < 0.05) at 3 months. Intergroup comparison showed significant reduction in PI, GI, SBI and OHIS (P < 0.05) in Group C compared to Groups A and B. Group B showed a statistically significant reduction in all clinical parameters when compared to Group A (P < 0.05) after 3 months. At 6 months, all the groups showed statistically significant reduction (P < 0.05) in all the clinical parameters; however, intergroup comparison did not show significant difference (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the use of Hyper. Q as mouthwash significantly reduces plaque and gingival inflammation as compared to saline as mouthwash. However, CHX was found better than Hyper. Future research on use of Hyper. Q, dosage, substantiality and antimicrobial properties is warranted for its potential clinical use.