Comparison of the in vivo and in vitro antibacterial properties of povidone iodine and chlorhexidine gluconate mouthrinses

Abstract

Clinical and laboratory studies were carried out to compare the antibacterial properties of two antiseptic mouthwashes, namely 1% povidone iodine and 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate. In a group of 10 subjects after a single rinse with povidone iodine, an immediate mean fall in total salivary aerobes and anaerobes occurred, followed by a return to normal levels by 1-hour postrinsing. With chlorhexidine gluconate a similar but greater reduction in salivary bacterial counts was observed, which was still present up to the 7-h postrinsing period. Saliva samples obtained from the subjects 2 min after rinsing with providone iodine produced little or no inhibition to the growth of a test organism in vitro, whereas following chlorhexidine gluconate, antibacterial activity was present in the saliva specimens up to the 3-h sampling time. Using culture media containing comparable levels of soluble protein to saliva, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of povidone iodine against several standard test organisms were much higher than those of chlorhexidine gluconate. The results suggest that povidone iodine, as a mouthwash, exerts only an immediate antibacterial effect and unlike chlorhexidine, is not retained at antibacterial levels within the oral cavity after expectoration. This lack of prolonged action of povidone iodine in the oral cavity would appear to be relevant to its reported lack of antiplaque activity.

Preoperative antiseptics in clean/contaminated maxillofacial and oral surgery: prospective randomized study

“…The authors conclude that this antiseptic is very effective in reducing oral cavity bacterial counts up to 1 hour from the start of operation, which makes it suitable for shorter procedures (oral surgery in local anaesthesia). These results are supported by several smaller studies 1,7,21,23,36 . The authors also noticed that its favourable organo-leptic qualities are important when the oral cavity is preoperatively washed in awake patient.…”

Effectiveness of a New Generation Anticavity Mouthwash on Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus Count: A Microbiological Study

“…6 Previous studies have showed that povidone iodine, as a mouthwash exerts only an immediate antibacterial effect and unlike chlorhexidine, is not retained at antibacterial levels within the oral cavity after expectoration. 13 In the present study, CTx4 treatment rinse mouthwash, which contains sodium fluoride as active ingredient and xylitol, sodium hypochlorite and sodium benzoate as inactive ingredients, is used. 0.2% sodium hypochlorite oral rinse is bactericidal to all bacteria on contact.…”

Effectiveness of Veadent as a plaque‐inhibiting mouthwash

“…Since the introduction of chlorhexidine in the plaque control in the early 70s, several alternative plaque inhibitors with clear-eut effect as compared with placebo have been tested (5)(6)(7)(8). However, when compared with chlorhexidine none has shown equal or better activity without also giving unacceptable side effects (9)(10)(11)(12). Also chlorhexidine has some unpleasant side effects restricting its general use (13)(14)(15).…”