Lack of Adjunctive Effect of 0.1% Sodium Hypochlorite Mouthwash Combined to Full-mouth Ultrasonic Debridement on Supragingival Plaque, Gingival Inflammation, and Subgingival Microbiota: A Randomized Placebo-controlled 6-month Trial

To test the adjunctive effect of 0.1% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) mouthwash combined to full-mouth ultrasonic debridement (FMUD) on reducing supragingival plaque, gingival inflammation, and microbial pathogens. In this 6-month double-blinded randomized clinical trial, individuals with gingivitis were assigned to test ( = 16) or placebo group ( = 16) and received FMUD followed by rinsing with 0.1% NaOCl (test) or distilled water (placebo), respectively, twice a day for 1 month. Full-mouth periodontal examination was performed at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months posttherapy, and subgingival plaque samples were obtained at the same time points and analysed for their composition by checkerboard. Differences between groups over time were examined by Student test, Mann-Whitney, generalized linear model, and Friedman and chi-square tests. Both therapeutic protocols resulted in significant clinical improvement in periodontal parameters over time, except for probing depth and attachment level, which had a slight mean increase of 0.2 mm ( < .01). No significant differences between groups were observed for any clinical parameter ( > .05). Most species (>65%) decreased similarly in levels in both groups over time. Significant reductions in the microbial complexes were seen mainly at 1 and 3 months, but they returned to baseline levels in both groups, except for the red and yellow complexes, and other oral species, which were kept in low levels at 6 months ( < .05). A 0.1% NaOCl mouthwash did not provide additional benefits to FMUD in reducing supragingival plaque, gingivitis, and/or microbial pathogens.