Comparative Evaluation of Honey and Chlorhexidine Mouthwash based on the Clinical Levels of Probing Pocket Depth in Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy

Abstract

Traditional non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) is based on debriding supra-gingival and sub-gingival calculus and providing advice regarding oral health care techniques. Chlorhexidine is used as a mouthwash to prevent plaque and bacterial accumulation. Honey is used to treat periodontitis, inflammation of the gingiva, plaque development, and odor management. A quasiexperimental study was conducted in the Department of Dental Pharmacology, Department of Periodontology, and the Outpatient Department of Dentistry of Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh, between January and December of 2024, to evaluate the efficacy of honey comparing to chlorhexidine mouthwash in non-surgical periodontal therapy. A total of 66 participants were enrolled in this study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Among them, 33 participants were in the intervention group (treated with honey), while the rest 33 participants were in the control group (treated with chlorhexidine mouthwash). Oral health status, periodontal condition, and other study-related information were collected through a data collection sheet. Probing pocket depth (PPD) was measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months to compare outcomes in both groups to compare the efficacy of honey and chlorhexidine. Participants of the control group had a mean age of 39.7±13.2 years, while the participants of the intervention group had a mean age of 40.5±11.7 years. A male predominance was observed in both groups with 19(57.6%) and 20(60.6%) male patients respectively. Regarding PPD, at baseline examination, there was no difference between two groups (3.35±0.67 vs. 3.14±0.56; p=0.19). However, after 3 months (3.07±0.91 vs. 2.65±0.68; p=0.04) and after 6 months (3.03±1.13 vs. 2.43±0.91; p=0.02), statisticaly significant differences were observed. Overall, honey worked better than chlorhexidine to reduce probing pocket depth. Moreover, adverse drug reactions were observed more in the control group (39.4%) than that of the intervention arm (9.1%) (p=0.004). Honey’s natural antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties contributed to significant reductions in probing pocket depth (PPD) and showed less adverse effects compared to chlorhexidine mouthwash.

Mugda Med Coll J. 2025; 8(2): 145-149