BACKGROUND Chlorhexidine (CHX) is not prescribed as a mouthwash for long-term use; therefore, probiotic/herbal mouthwashes are being investigated. This study compared the effect of 3 commercial mouthwashes on plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and bleeding index (BI) in patients with chronic gingivitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty-five patients (all with moderate plaque) were randomly allocated into 3 groups (Gp): Gp 1 (CHX), Gp 2 (Manuka), and Gp 3 (Pro-Dental). Three periodontal clinical parameters - PI, GI, and BI - were recorded at baseline and on days 7, 14, and 28. An oral hygiene maintenance program was followed by a double-blinded intervention (coded bottle containing mouthwash). Both inter-group and intra-group comparisons were made using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with multiple t tests. All probable values were considered to have various levels of significance at P<0.05 or below. RESULTS All indices for all groups showed higher values (mean) at baseline, which were lower on days 7, 14, and 28. No differences in any clinical parameter at any point of time existed between Gp 1 and Gp 2. There were, however, significant differences (P<0.05) between Gp 1/Gp 3 and Gp 2/Gp 3 for all clinical parameters at all observed time periods (days 7, 14, 28). Intra-group comparison for all groups demonstrated highly significant differences between baseline values and other time points. CONCLUSIONS For managing chronic gingivitis, Manuka mouthwash is as effective as a CHX mouthwash, as there were no differences observed in any clinical parameters at any point points.