Aim To compare the efficacy of turmeric mouthwash and chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash in prevention of gingivitis and plaque formation. Materials and methods A total of 100 randomly selected subjects visiting the Department of Periodontology at Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Dental College and Hospital, were considered for the study. The gingival index (GI) by Loe and Silness was recorded which was followed by Turesky- Gilmore-Glickman modification of Quigley Hein plaque index (TQHPI) at 0, 14 and 21 days. Individuals who gave an informed consent, subjects in the age group of 25 to 35 years with having fair and poor gingival index scores and a score >1 for plaque index, were included in the study. Results Results showed statistically significant reduction (p < 0.05) in mean plaque index (PI) with chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash when compared with turmeric mouthwash. No significant difference in mean gingival index (GI) was seen when chlorhexidine mouthwash was compared with turmeric mouthwash. Significant reduction in total microbial count (p < 0.05) was observed in both the groups. No significant difference was observed in total microbial count when chlorhexidine mouthwash was compared with turmeric mouthwash. Conclusion From the above observations, it can be concluded that chlorhexidine gluconate as well as turmeric mouthwash can be effectively used as an adjunct to mechanical plaque control methods in prevention of plaque and gingivitis. Chlorhexidine gluconate has been found to be more effective when antiplaque property was considered. Clinical significance From this study, it could be stated that turmeric is definitely a good adjunct to mechanical plaque control. Further studies are required on turmeric based mouthwash to establish it as a low cost plaque control measure. How to cite this article Waghmare PF, Chaudhari AU, Karhadkar VM, Jamkhande AS. Comparative Evaluation of Turmeric and Chlorhexidine Gluconate Mouthwash in Prevention of Plaque Formation and Gingivitis: A Clinical and Microbiological Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2011;12(4): 221-224.

Aim: Background and objectives: IL-1β is a potent stimulator of bone resorption and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of periodontal destruction. Therefore, this study was designed to compare the levels of IL-1β of chronic periodontitis patients with the healthy subjects. Another objective of this study was to correlate IL-1β levels with the clinical parameters of the periodontal disease progression. Methods: For this study, total 60 subjects were chosen (30healthy and 30-chronic periodontitis). Simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), gingival index (GI), periodontal disease index (PDI), probing depth (PD), tooth mobility, bleeding on probing (BOP) were recorded for all the subject. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was collected and subjected for ELISA for estimation of IL-1β. Results: At the periodontal diseased sites, the IL-1β levels increased at least 2-fold as compared with healthy subjects. This increase was highly significant (p = 0.0000). Within the test group, IL-1β levels correlated positively and significantly with PDI, PD, BOP and tooth mobility. The correlations of IL-1β with PD (p = 0.000) and IL-1β with BOP (p = 0.0004) were highly significant. Interpretation and conclusion: These data suggest that amount of GCF IL-1β is closely associated with periodontal status. This relationship may be valuable in monitoring periodontal disease activity. Clinical significance: It could be stated from this study on IL-1β that there seem to be a strong correlation between periodontal tissue destruction and IL-1β. Furthermore IL-1β level could also differentiate between active and inactive periodontal lesions.