Combined sea salt-based oral rinse with xylitol in orthodontic patients: Clinical and microbiological study

Orthodontic appliances protect the plaque from the actions of brushing, mastication, and salivary flow. Plaque control is a very difficult task for patients with fixed orthodontic appliances. It has been demonstrated that chemical agents are useful additions in plaque control for these patients. To improve mechanical plaque removal, studies in the field suggest to add a chemo-therapeutic agent, such as an antibacterial mouth rinse, to the oral hygiene regimen. Noteworthy evidence from clinical trials has shown that oral hygiene status is significantly improved when antibacterial mouth rinses are added to daily oral hygiene measures (tooth brushing and flossing) compared with tooth brushing and flossing alone. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a combined rinsing solution (sea salt, xylitol and lysozyme^ on plaque and gingival index in orthodontic patients with fixed appliances.