Antibacterial Efficacy of Aloe Vera Extract Mouth Wash versus Chlorhexidine in Pediatrics: An in Vivo Study

Purpose: To assess and compare the antibacterial efficacy of Aloe vera (AV) extract solution and chlorhexidine (CHX) as mouth washes for children. Material and methods: Forty children of age range (5- 12) years were enrolled in this study. The participants were randomly divided into two equal groups; A& B (n= 20). Participants were asked to rinse with 10 ml of either 100% AV extract or 0.125% CHX mouthwashes (in group A & B respectively) for 4 days twice daily (after breakfast and lunch) for one minute and not to rinse with water thereafter. Saliva samples were collected at 0 (base line) (S1) and after 4 days use (S2). All collected saliva samples, were submitted to microbiology laboratory for total bacterial counting at both intervals for the two groups, the data were then collected, tabulated and statistically analyzed. Results: In both AV and CHX groups, the total bacterial count was decreased with a significant difference (P≤ 0.05) between the base line and after 4 days samples. In CHX group however, there was a significant decrease in total bacterial count compared to AV group. Conclusion: AV mouth wash has a comparable antibacterial effect to CHX mouth wash when used for children’s oral health care.