Comparative Evaluation of Efficacy of “Green Tea” and “Green Tea with Xylitol” Mouthwashes on the Salivary Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus Colony Count in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Aim: Green tea is an antimicrobial agent that has beneficial effects on oral and dental health.The aim of this study was to compare the effect of "green tea" and "green tea with xylitol" mouthwashes on the salivary Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus colony count in children. Materials and methods:In this double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial, 64 children aged 6-12 years were randomly divided into two groups.Subjects were instructed to wash their mouth with 5% "green tea" or 20% "green tea with xylitol" mouthwashes twice a day for a period of 2 weeks.Salivary counts of bacteria were determined at the baseline and after 2 weeks of intervention.Results: A significant difference was found between the average number of bacterial colonies between the two groups after intervention (p < 0.001). Conclusion:Findings of this study suggest that the effect of the "green tea with xylitol" mouthwash on reducing the number of salivary colonies of S. mutans and Lactobacillus is significantly higher than that of the "green tea" mouthwash.Clinical significance: The green tea mouthwash can be advised for dental and oral health of children.