Mutans streptococci suppression by chlorhexidine gel in toddlers
Twetman, S.; Grindefjord, M.
American Journal of Dentistry 12(2): 89-91
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0894-8275 PMID: 10477989 Document Number: 506827
The effect of daily toothbrushing with a chlorhexidine gel on the levels of oral mutants streptococci was evaluated in a group of 37 healthy 1 1/2-year-old children. The microbial samplings were performed with a modified Strip mutans chair-side technique: a sterile cotton pellet on a wooden pin was rolled along the surfaces of the upper primary incisors and then rolled again on a specially prepared plastic strip. The strips were thereafter incubated and cultivated in a selective media. After baseline registrations, the parents were instructed and trained to brush the teeth of their children with a 1% chlorhexidine gel (Corsodyl), twice daily during 14-days. Follow-up samplings were obtained 1 and 3 months after termination of gel treatment. The results revealed a statistically significant (P < 0.01) reduction of mutans streptococci colonization after 1 month compared with baseline. After 3 months, a certain reduction was still evident although not statistically significant from baseline.