ABSTRACT
In this controlled clinical study, the authors examined the effect of subgingival irrigation and rinsing with an antiseptic mouthrinse before ultrasonic scaling of a quadrant containing inflamed gingivae. The results showed that pre-procedural subgingival irrigation and rinsing can significantly reduce the level of bacteremia associated with ultrasonic scaling. These results support the American Heart Association's recommendation of adjunctive subgingival irrigation prior to invasive procedures in patients at risk of developing bacterial endocarditis.
Subject(s)
Anti-Infective Agents, Local/therapeutic use , Bacteremia/prevention & control , Dental Care for Chronically Ill/methods , Dental Scaling , Mouthwashes/therapeutic use , Salicylates/therapeutic use , Terpenes/therapeutic use , Adult , Anti-Infective Agents, Local/administration & dosage , Blood/microbiology , Colony Count, Microbial , Drug Combinations , Female , Humans , Male , Salicylates/administration & dosage , Terpenes/administration & dosage , Therapeutic Irrigation , Ultrasonic TherapyABSTRACT
Although the mechanism responsible for the clinical antiplaque efficacy of oral antiseptics is generally considered to be primarily one of bactericidal activity, it has been suggested that oral antiseptics may have additional effects on bacteria exposed to sublethal levels. Studies reported herein, investigated the effects of sublethal levels of an essential oil-containing antiseptic mouthrinse (Listerine Antiseptic, Warner-Lambert Co., Morris Plains, NJ) on selected activities of representative plaque microorganisms using in vitro models. These studies demonstrated that sublethal exposure to the tested oral antiseptic can have significant effects in reducing intergeneric coaggregation, increasing bacterial generation time, and extracting endotoxin from Gram-negative bacteria. These in vitro activities can be correlated with features of plaque formation and pathogenicity seen in vivo; however, additional studies will be necessary to confirm that these mechanisms are, in fact, operative clinically.
Subject(s)
Anti-Infective Agents, Local/pharmacology , Bacteria/drug effects , Dental Plaque/microbiology , Mouthwashes/pharmacology , Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans/drug effects , Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans/growth & development , Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans/pathogenicity , Anti-Infective Agents, Local/administration & dosage , Bacteria/pathogenicity , Bacterial Adhesion/drug effects , Bacteriolysis/drug effects , Candida albicans/drug effects , Candida albicans/growth & development , Candida albicans/pathogenicity , Capnocytophaga/drug effects , Capnocytophaga/growth & development , Capnocytophaga/pathogenicity , Cell Division/drug effects , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Drug Combinations , Endotoxins/antagonists & inhibitors , Fusobacterium nucleatum/drug effects , Fusobacterium nucleatum/growth & development , Fusobacterium nucleatum/pathogenicity , Gram-Negative Bacteria/drug effects , Gram-Negative Bacteria/growth & development , Gram-Negative Bacteria/pathogenicity , Humans , Mouthwashes/administration & dosage , Oils, Volatile/administration & dosage , Oils, Volatile/pharmacology , Salicylates/administration & dosage , Salicylates/pharmacology , Streptococcus mutans/drug effects , Streptococcus mutans/growth & development , Streptococcus mutans/pathogenicity , Streptococcus sanguis/drug effects , Streptococcus sanguis/growth & development , Streptococcus sanguis/pathogenicity , Terpenes/administration & dosage , Terpenes/pharmacology , Veillonella/drug effects , Veillonella/growth & development , Veillonella/pathogenicityABSTRACT
Two double-blind controlled clinical studies were conducted to determine the efficacy of preprocedural rinsing with Cool Mint Listerine Antiseptic mouthrinse on the level of viable bacteria recovered from dental aerosols when generated immediately after and 40 minutes after rinsing. Eighteen healthy subjects participated in each study. In the first study, following a 24-hour no-oral-hygiene period, subjects received a 10-minute ultrasonic scaling of a randomly chosen half mouth, rinsed with either Cool Mint Listerine or a control, and received an ultrasonic scaling of the remaining half mouth. During each scaling period, aerosolized bacteria were collected on a sterile filter using a modified air-sampling device. The filters were overlaid on culture media, incubated aerobically, and colonies were counted. The second study followed the same basic design except that ultrasonic scaling was done for 5 minutes, and the post-rinsing sampling was performed following a 40-minute simulated dental treatment period. Rinsing with Cool Mint Listerine resulted in a 92.1% reduction in viable bacteria in aerosols generated immediately after rinsing and a 91.3% reduction in aerosols generated 40 minutes after rinsing. These reductions were significantly greater than control (P = 0.0001). These studies suggest that preprocedural rinsing with Cool Mint Listerine Antiseptic may potentially reduce the risk of cross contamination in the dental operatory.
