The average individual status of gingival inflammation was evaluated in two groups of 39 and 47 subjects by means of the Gingivitis Fluorescein Test (GFT) and the Sulcus Bleeding Index. The subjects of the test group received a prophylaxis and hygiene instructions which were effective in reducing the gingivitis after 12 days. However, the reduction was not paralleled by a simultaneous decrease of fluorescein recovered in mouthwashings. The oral hygiene of the control group's subjects was not altered and examinations were performed after 7 days. In both groups the average SBI-score did not exceed 1.2 in all examinations. The fluorescein content of the mouthwashings was approximately 10 times reduced when compared with previous findings. No correlation was found between the amounts of fluorescein in mouthwashings and the severity or extent of the clinically assessed gingival inflammation.