Dental caries has become one of the most prevalent chronic diseases, with streptococcus mutans count as one of the main causatives. Mouthwashes has been one of the most important methods for bacterial count control. There are many mouthwashes that has been available over the counter but unfortunately, they have many side effects and drawbacks, so this necessitates the search for natural mouthwashes that overcome these side effects with similar antibacterial properties.
Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of rinsing with green tea extract mouthwash in comparison with chlorhexidine on Streptococcus mutans count.
Setting and Design: A short term, double blinded, randomized control clinical trial.
Materials and Methods: Study includes a total of 36 dental students aged 17 to 23 years divided into two groups that is green tea group and chlorhexidine group.
Baseline unstimulated saliva samples were collected, and students were instructed to rinse with 5ml of the assigned mouthwash for 7 days twice daily. And finally come back for a salivary sample after the 7 days period and all saliva samples were sent for microbiological analysis.
Results: independent and paired t-tests showed that both chlorhexidine and green tea significantly reduced Streptococcus mutans count, with no significant difference between both mouthwashes after 7 days.
Conclusion: Results of this study showed that green tea extract mouthwash has the same antibacterial activity as chlorhexidine mouthwash which is considered the gold standard, so green tea mouthwash may be used as an alternative for the chemical mouthwashes.