Effect of Adjunctive Use of Commercial Daily Mouthwashes on Periodontal Health: An Umbrella Review.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Effective oral hygiene using different mechanical means is mainly dependent on the patient. Mouthwashes containing antimicrobial agents have been developed to be used as an adjunct to mechanical supragingival plaque control. The aim of this umbrella review is to evaluate and compare the long-term efficacy of commonly used, commercially available daily mouthwashes in plaque control and gingival inflammation.

METHODS

The current umbrella review was conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions using the PICOS format. The search was conducted in four databases: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and Web of Science. Nine systematic reviews/meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) on the long-term efficacy of commercially available mouthwashes (low-concentration chlorhexidine [CHX], cetylpyridinium chloride [CPC], mouthwashes with essential oils [EOs], fluoride and oxygen-releasing mouthwashes) were included.

RESULTS

The results revealed that in all SRs/MAs, the prolonged daily use of mouthwashes helped in reducing plaque and gingival inflammation indices but not always with statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of the present study indicate that the long-term use of mouthwashes containing EOs seems to give the best results in both reducing plaque levels and improving gingivitis indices among all tested formulations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO Registration Number CRD 42024618552.