Aim: This study was designed to compare the effects of tea tree oil and chlorhexidine mouth rinse in the treatment of gingivitis induced by orthodontic treatment.
Materials and Methods: Sixty patients undergoing orthodontic treatment and suffering from gingivitis were included and divided randomly into three groups, group I (20 patients): Patients received scaling and oral hygiene instructions, group II (20 patients): Patients received scaling, oral hygiene instructions and chlorhexidine mouth rinse and group III (20 patients): Patients received scaling, oral hygiene instructions and tea tree oil mouth rinse.
Results: The results of this study revealed that all treatment modalities achieved a statistically significant reduction of the mean plaque index, gingival index and papillary bleeding index throughout the six months evaluation period as compared to the mean base-line values (P<0.001). This 6-month controlled clinical study demonstrated that the tea tree oil mouth rinse had comparable anti-gingivitis activity with chlorhexidine mouth rinse which is known to produce significantly higher levels of extrinsic stain.
Conclusion: Due to side effects associated with the chlorhexidine mouth rinse, it is suggested that tea tree oil mouth rinse can be used instead, as it proved to have a distinct role in the management of gingivitis induced by orthodontic treatment.