Effects of Chlorhexidine-containing Gel and Varnish on Abutment Teeth in Patients with Overdentures

Abstract

Previous experiments have shown that daily use of 1% chlorhexidine gel strongly reduced caries development in the abutment teeth under overdentures. The present experiment was designed to determine whether intermittent application of chlorhexidine, either in a varnish or in a gel, might be used as an alternative preventive method, less demanding for the patient. To this end, 31 patients were distributed among four treatment groups, with the number of mutans streptococci in plaque and saliva used as a balancing criterion. The treatments consisted of a single application of 40% chlorhexidine varnish, daily application of 1% chlorhexidine gel for one week, or the corresponding placebo treatments with varnish or gel without chlorhexidine. Patients were re-called for bacteriological and clinical examination at various intervals during an eight-week period following treatment. Chlorhexidine varnish and chlorhexidine gel applications significantly suppressed mutans streptococci on the abutment teeth for four and eight weeks, respectively. In agreement with earlier findings, the numbers of Actinomyces viscosus/naeslundii in plaque were significantly increased after chlorhexidine varnish treatment. The chlorhexidine gel reduced plaque accumulation and gingival bleeding for one week but had no long-lasting effect. The results seem to justify a long-term clinical test of intermittent chlorhexidine applications as an alternative for daily use in patients with overdentures.

Comparison of the immediate effects of gaseous ozone and chlorhexidine gel on bacteria in cavitated carious lesions in children in vivo

“…Most clinical studies evaluating the effect of CHX gel measured the salivary levels of mutans streptococci and found moderate to significant reductions in samples taken 24 h after gel application [16,29]. However, mutans streptococci were less sensitive to CHX when located in an experimental biofilm and even less so in mixed biofilms [14,15,36].…”

The effect of different formulations of chlorhexidine in reducing levels of mutans streptococci in the oral cavity: A systematic review of the literature

“…50,52,55,70 A single application of 1% CHX gel (professional prophylaxis) or more frequent application of the same concentration (daily brushing for 2 weeks) did not perform as well as 1% and 40% CHX varnish. In addition to using less gel than with trays, the product was also diluted in the saliva.…”

The Role of Chlorhexidine in Caries Prevention

“…20,22 Suppression of S mutans for periods of up to five months has been achieved by the application of a varnish containing a high concentration of chlorhexidine (40%). [20][21][22][23][24] Twetman stated in his review that clinical data on caries prevention effects remain sparse and that the recent literature was inconclusive for the use of chlorhexidine varnishes for caries prevention in risk groups.…”