Plaque Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Plaque, including details on dentistry, brushing, oral hygiene, mouthwash.

A synergistic chlorhexidine/chitosan combination for improved antiplaque strategies.

Decker EM, von Ohle C, Weiger R, Wiech I, Brecx M

Department of Conservative Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Tuebingen, Germany. Evi.Decker@med.uni-tuebingen.de

BACKGROUND: The minor efficacy of chlorhexidine (CHX) on other cariogenic bacteria than mutans streptococci such as Streptococcus sanguinis may contribute to uneffective antiplaque strategies. METHODS AND RESULTS: In addition to CHX (0.1%) as positive control and saline as negative control, two chitosan derivatives (0.2%) and their CHX combinations were applied to planktonic and attached sanguinis streptococci for 2 min. In a preclinical biofilm model, the bacteria suspended in human sterile saliva were allowed to attach to human enamel slides for 60 min under flow conditions mimicking human salivation. The efficacy of the test agents on streptococci was screened by the following parameters: vitality status, colony-forming units (CFU)/ml and cell density on enamel. The first combination reduced the bacterial vitality to approximately 0% and yielded a strong CFU reduction of 2-3 log(10) units, much stronger than CHX alone. Furthermore, the first chitosan derivative showed a significant decrease of the surface coverage with these treated streptococci after attachment to enamel. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, a new CHX formulation would be beneficial unifying the bioadhesive properties of chitosan with the antibacterial activity of CHX synergistically resulting in a superior antiplaque effect than CHX alone.

Published 17 August 2005 in J Periodontal Res, 40(5): 373-7.
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