In the present study, the clinical outcomes obtained using three different protocols of post-operative plaque control for the 4 weeks after surgery were compared. Thirty healthy subjects, presenting at least one
periodontal pocket requiring resective surgery, were selected and randomly distributed to three different groups corresponding to respective post-surgical protocols: (A) toothbrushes +
chlorhexidine + anti-discoloration system (ADS +
CHX); (B) toothbrushes +
chlorhexidine (CHX); (C) only toothbrushes. The full-mouth plaque score (
FMPS), full-mouth
bleeding score (FMBS), probing pocket depth (
PPD), recession depth (REC), clinical attachment level (CAL), and
bleeding on probing (BoP) were measured in six aspects per tooth (mesio-buccal (MB), buccal (B), disto-buccal (DB), disto-lingual (DL), lingual (L), and mesio-lingual (ML)) at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery.
FMPS and FMBS did not significantly change (p > 0.05), whereas
PPD and CAL significantly decreased, and REC significantly increased in all groups during the study (p < 0.05). Clinical results were satisfactory in all cases, with no significant differences between groups 3 months after surgery. Six months after surgery, only
PPD-MB was significantly different in the three groups (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, this value was not clinically relevant because the value of
PPD-B (about 2 mm) in group C was physiologic. The mechanical plaque control was proven to be fundamental and sufficient in all the six aspects per tooth to guarantee an excellent clinical outcome without the need of chemical plaque control.