RESUMEN
To test the short term clinical effectiveness of commercially available 0.07%.cetylpyridinium chloride mouth rinse in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment as compared to a placebo mouth rinse and patients using toothbrush and toothpaste. Forty-five subjects for this double blind study were assigned randomly into three groups of 15 each. Gingival inflammation, plaque accumulation, and bleeding on probing, were recorded at baseline [10 days after prophylaxis], and at the end of one month in all the three groups and compared. Paired t test showed significant differences in bleeding index for pre and post treatment recordings for cetylpyridinium group. Modified gingival index showed no significant difference in the cetylpyridinium group. For plaque index significant difference was found for cetylpyridinium and control groups. Cetylpyridinium mouth rinse 0.7% was found to be effective in reducing the bleeding and plaque index scores. It was not effective in reducing the modified gingival index scores. Cetylpyridinium mouth rinse 0.07% improves the oral hygiene of orthodontic patients when used as an adjunct to normal oral hygiene measures