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Background: Orthodontic appliances impede good dental plaque control by brushing. Antimicrobial mouth rinses
were suggested to improve this performance. We therefore aimed to investigate the effects of combined mouthrinse
containing chlorhexidine (CHX) and sodium fluoride (NaF) on clinical oral hygiene parameters,and plaque bacterial level.
Material and Methods: In this double-blind clinical study, 60 fixed orthodontic patients aged 14-25 years were
randomly assigned to one of four mouthrinses groups: 1- combined CHX /NaF 2- CHX 0.06% 3- NaF0.05%
4-placebo. Following baseline examination patients were instructed to use the assigned mouthrinse twice daily for
21 days. Bleeding index (BI), modified gingival index (MGI) and plaque index (PI) were determined at the baselineand after three weeks of rinsing. Samples from supragingival plaque were obtained for the assessment of total
bacterial,
Streptococcus mutans
and
Lactobacilli
colony counts. Data were analyzed by Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis,
and Mann-Whitney tests.
Results: Clinical parameters; All three active mouth rinses induced significant improvements of BI, MGI, and PI
(
P
<0.05). Results of CHX/NaF were slightly, but not significantly, better than CHX. CHX/NaF and CHX induced
significantly more changes than NaF and placebo. Microbiological measurements; Except placebo, other mouthrinses reduced total bacterial,
Streptococcus mutans
, and
Lactobacilli
counts significantly (
P
<0.05). CHX/NaF acted
against
Lactobacilli
significantly more than others.
Conclusions: Adding CHX0.06%/NaF0.05% combined mouth rinse to daily oral hygiene regimen of orthodontic
patients significantly improved oral hygiene status. Effect of this combined mouth rinse on dental plaque
Lactobacilli
was remarkable. However, large controlled trials could provide more definitive evidence.
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