Periodontology Literature Review

CHLORHEXIDINE

Taggart, JA, Palmer, RM, and Wilson, RF: A clinical and microbiological comparison of the effects of water and 0.02% chlorhexidine as coolants during ultrasonic scaling and Root Planing . J. Clin. Periodontol. 17(1):32-7, 1990.

Purpose:

To compare the effects of a single episode of ultrasonic scaling and root planing using water versus 0.02% chlorhexidine as the coolant in subjects maintained on a high standard of plaque control.

Materials and methods:

Ten patients with moderate periodontitis were included in this study. Two upper quadrants were randomly assigned to test or control. Within each quadrant, 2 sites were selected for bacterial sampling. Percentage of sites with plaque and bleeding were recorded. Also probing depths and probing attachment levels. Two weeks after instrumentation, measurements were recorded again.

Results:

There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of plaque, bleeding indices, attachment level changes and bacterial morphotypes. The chlorhexidine-treated quadrants had significantly more sites with probing depths in the 1-3 mm range and less in the >3 mm category.

Conclusion:

Chlorhexidine 0.02% was shown to have a slight adjunctive effect in reducing the probing pocket depth when used as the coolant in conjunction with ultrasonic instrumentation.

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