Plaque surface area after rinsing with a tea, containing low levels of fluoride, was evaluated in 30 human volunteers with a single-blind, one-operator, three-period, three-treatment cross-over study. The mouthwashes employed were: (1) tea (Darjeeling first flush:< 0.2 ppm F-), (2) Meridol(R), (3) control (tap water:< 0.2 ppm F-). During the experiment the participants refrained from oral hygiene procedures and rinsed their mouth three times a day after each meal with 20 ml of the respective rinse. After 3 d standardized photographs were taken of the upper canines and premolars and the plaque areas were measured planimetrically. Statistical analysis showed a marked decrease in plaque surface area after rinsing with Meridol, whereas no difference in plaque surface area was observed after mouthrinsing with tea and tap water, respectively.