Study phases and mouthwash protocols
GingiLacer
Adopting the above criteria, 60 participants were selected and randomly distributed into two groups. Two phases of mouthwash application were established (Fig. 
Flowchart of the development of this experimentIn phase 1, each group was randomly subjected to the application of mouthwash for four days: a cymenol mouthwash (test group A; n = 30), which corresponded to the product GingiLacer Encías Delicadas (active ingredients: 0.10% cymenol, 0.10% zinc chloride, potassium glycyrrhizate, and fluoride salts); or a placebo mouthwash (test group B; n = 30), which contained no active ingredients but was organoleptically similar or identical to the cymenol version. The participants used a rinse of 10 millilitres (ml) for 60 s, three times a day, with an interval of seven to nine hours between them. Then, in phase 2, all the participants used the cymenol mouthwash for four days following the exact dosing and schedule as in phase 1.The volunteers performed no other oral hygiene measures during the eight days of mouthwash application. To evaluate their compliance, the antiseptic bottles were weighed at the beginning and end of the two application phases. Each mouthwash (cymenol and placebo) was provided to a participant in an opaque bottle with instructions about the necessary volume and an extra amount for possible losses. The R free distribution software [