Effects of Chlorhexidine Gel in a Group of Maintenance Care Patients with Poor Oral Hygiene

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Abstract
An intraindividual double‐blind crossover study was designed in order to see if a 1% Chlorhexidine gel used twice a day could substitute for ordinary toothpaste in a group of maintenance‐care patients with poor oral hygiene. Twenty patients from a student clinic participated, each with a long history of maintenance‐care problems. A 4‐week test period with Chlorhexidine gel or placebo gel was followed by an intermediate period with ordinary toothpaste, and then by another 4‐week test period. Plaque‐covered surfaces (%), bleeding sites (%) and extraneous staining (color slides) were recorded at each sitting. The results demonstrated that brushing with Chlorhexidine gel significantly influenced both the oral hygiene level and the gingival inflammation. The only adverse effect observed was a marked increase in the amount of brown staining, especially on the facial surfaces of the nonsmokers. In this short‐term study, the staining was not considered cosmetically unacceptable by the patients. The total amount of staining was always greater in smokers than in nonsmokers.

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