"Effect of Temperature Change of 0.2% Chlorhexidine Rinse on Matured Human Plaque: An in Vivo Study"

Groups, each group consisting of five subjects that were made to rinse with warm and cold water and chlorhexidine solution at temperature of 47°c and 18°c respectively. Plaque The micro-organisms in bacterial plaque comprise a decisive etiological factor in the origin and development of inflammatory periodontal diseases. Plaque is a complex biofilm that contains various microorganisms and forms mainly on teeth and particularly between them, along the gingival margin, and in fissures and pits. This biofilm adheres by a variety of mechanisms for this reason; plaque control plays a significant role in the prevention of gingival and periodontal problems. Both mechanical aids of tooth cleaning and local chemotherapeutics are used for this purpose. 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX) solution was the first clinically effective mouth rinse that inhibited supragingival plaque formation and thus the development of chronic gingivitis.
Broad-spectrum antibacterial effect against gram-positive as well as gram-negative bacteria, yeasts , dermaphytes, some lipophilic viruses and due to its prolonged substantivity chlorhexidine is still recognized as the "gold standard" for chemical plaque control. Various factors such as concentration, time, temperature and pH have an influence on the retention of chlorhexidine in the human oral cavity after rinsing. However, raising the temperature does increase the rate at which chemical reactions take place¹. Thus the aim of this randomized clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of the temperature change on antibacterial efficacy of Chlorhexidine digluconate.
Aim
The aim of this study is to compare the anti-bacterial efficacy of 0.2% warm and cold chlorhexidine rinse on plaque vitality.
Methods and Material
20 dental students were randomly selected, aged between 18-25 years. The volunteers were instructed to refrain from tooth brushing & not to disturb the plaque growth either mechanically or chemically for three days, so that a matured supragingival plaque was established. The volunteers were divided into four samples were taken 10 minutes before and after rinsing and analyzed under fluorescent microscope. Results The percentage of dead bacteria was significantly improved from 93.74% to 73.84% and 95.84% to 28.11% after rinsing with 0.2% cold and warm chlorhexidine solution respectively. However warm chlorhexidine rinse caused 47.83% greater reduction in percentage of dead bacteria than cold chlorhexidine.
Conclusions
Heated chlorhexidine rinse proved to be a more effective anti-plaque agent than cold chlorhexidine rinse at 0.2% concentration.