Short-term changes in dental plaque index after rinsing with 50% and 75% white radish decoctions in elementary school students

Author(s): Anses Warman, Ika Ifitri, Zulfikri Zulfikri, Asio Asio
DOI: 10.30867/gikes.v7i3.3432

Abstract

Background: Dental plaque contributes to caries and gingival inflammation. White radish (Raphanus sativus L.) contains glucosinolates, isothiocyanates, and phenolic compounds with plausible antibacterial activity; evidence that a heated aqueous decoction modifies plaque in children remains preliminary. This exploratory study compared short-term plaque-index changes after two radish-decoction rinses.

Objective: To evaluate and compare changes in dental plaque index from before rinsing to two hours after rinsing with 50% and 75% white radish decoctions among fifth- and sixth-grade students. The primary comparison concerns observed short-term change, not established efficacy.

Methods: A pretest-posttest, two-group quasi-experimental study was conducted among 42 students at SDN 21 Pilubang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, on July 11, 2026. Participants were assigned to 50% or 75% decoction groups (n = 21 each). After standardized toothbrushing, plaque index was recorded before rinsing; each participant then rinsed with 20 mL of the assigned decoction for 30 seconds. Plaque index was reassessed two hours later using the Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein index. Within-group pre-post changes were analyzed using paired-samples t tests, and change scores were compared between groups using an independent-samples t test. Group assignment was not documented as randomized; the pre-rinse assessment followed toothbrushing.

Results: In the 50% group, mean plaque index decreased from 1.746 ± 0.398 before rinsing to 0.352 ± 0.026 after two hours (mean reduction 1.393 ± 0.393; p < 0.001). In the 75% group, it decreased from 1.927 ± 0.472 to 0.241 ± 0.014 (mean reduction 1.686 ± 0.469; p < 0.001). The mean reduction was 0.293 points greater in the 75% group.

Conclusion: Both groups showed lower plaque-index scores two hours after rinsing, with a larger observed reduction in the 75% group. These exploratory observations do not establish a radish-specific effect because allocation was nonrandomized and no water-rinse control was included.

Keywords

Dental plaque, mouthwashes, raphanus sativus, phytotherapy, schoolchildren

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References

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30867/gikes.v7i3.3432

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