Is saltwater mouth rinse as effective as chlorhexidine following periodontal surgery?

Design Randomised prospective double-blind study.Case selection Thirty-seven chronic periodontitis patients were randomly prescribed either saltwater (n = 17) or chlorhexidine (n = 20) mouth rinse following open flap debridement. Gingival Index (GI), post-operative pain, mouth rinse satisfaction, matrix metalloproteinase activity and tasting were assessed at baseline, one week and 12 weeks.Data analysis Inter-group and intra-group comparisons were done for all the parameters recorded at different time intervals using Friedman, Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann-Whitney U tests. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results There was a statistically significant decrease in GI from baseline to week 1/week 12 following surgery in both the groups. However, there was no significant difference between the groups at any time point.Conclusions Saltwater rinses are as efficient as 0.12% chlorhexidine in reducing inflammation following minimal invasive periodontal surgery. Being an inexpensive and easily accessible option, it might be considered the mouth rinse of choice during the early stages of wound healing.