The studies in this systematic review provide strong evidence of the antiplaque , antigingivitis effects of multiple agents .
BACKGROUND AND METHODS The author conducted a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the efficacy of  antigingivitis and antiplaque products  in six-month trials .
Comparative effectiveness of an essential oil mouthrinse and dental floss in controlling interproximal gingivitis and plaque.
PURPOSE To compare the effectiveness of rinsing with an essential oil-containing antimicrobial mouthrinse with that of dental floss in reducing interproximal gingivitis and plaque in an unsupervised 6-month clinical trial design ed in accordance with ADA Acceptance Program Guidelines . MATERIAL S AND METHODS 319 qualifying subjects , aged 18 - 63 , were r and omized into one of three groups : essential oil mouthrinse ( Listerine Antiseptic ) ; dental floss ( Reach Dental Floss ) ; or a negative control rinse . At baseline , subjects received a complete oral soft tissue examination and scoring of the Modified Gingival Index ( MGI ) , modified Quigley-Hein Plaque Index ( PI ) , and bleeding index ( BI ) . Following a complete dental prophylaxis and receiving flossing or rinsing instructions , subjects started on their respective regimen . They continued on their assigned regimen unsupervised at home , in addition to toothbrushing , and were reexamined at 3 and 6 months . The treatment groups were compared with respect to baseline demographic and clinical variables . The primary efficacy variables were mean interproximal MGI and PI at 6 months . Intergroup differences at 3 and 6 months were tested using a one-way analysis of covariance model with treatment as a factor and the respective baseline value as the covariate . In addition , the essential oil mouthrinse was compared to floss for interproximal gingivitis reduction using " at least as good as " statistical criteria . RESULTS 301 subjects were considered evaluable . There were no statistically significant differences among the 3 groups at baseline , with the exception of the essential oil mouthrinse group having significantly fewer AfroAmerican subjects than the other two groups . For the interproximal MGI , the essential oil mouthrinse and flossing were both significantly more effective than the negative control ( P < 0.001 ) at 3 and 6 months . The essential oil mouthrinse was shown to be " at least as good as " dental floss for the control of interproximal gingivitis . For the interproximal PI , the essential oil mouthrinse was significantly more effective than the negative control at 3 and 6 months ( P < 0.001 ) while flossing was significantly more effective than the negative control at 3 months ( P < 0.05 ) but not at 6 months . The essential oil mouthrinse was significantly more effective than floss ( P < 0.001 ) at both these time periods
The studies in this systematic review provide strong evidence of the antiplaque , antigingivitis effects of multiple agents .
BACKGROUND AND METHODS The author conducted a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the efficacy of  antigingivitis and antiplaque products  in six-month trials .