Fatemeh Sadat Sajadi
1, Mohammad Moradi
2, Abbas Pardakhty
3, Razieh Yazdizadeh
4, Faezeh Madani
5*1 Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry & Kerman Oral and Dental Diseases Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical School & Research Center for Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
3 Professor of Neuropharmacology Institute, Pharmaceutics Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
4 Dentist, Private Practice, Kerman, Iran
5 Post-graduate Student, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Abstract
Background and aims. Streptococcus mutans is the main pathogenic agent involved in dental caries, and may be elimi-nated using mouthwashes. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of fluoride, chlorhexidine, and fluoride-chlorhexidine mouthwashes on salivary S. mutanscount after two weeks of use and determine the prevalence of their side effects on the oral mucosa. Materials and methods. In this clinical trial, 120 12-14 year-old students were selected and divided into three groups. Each group was given one of fluoride, chlorhexidine, or fluoride-chlorhexidine mouthwashes. They were asked to use it twice a day for two weeks. Salivary samples were collected at baseline and after two weeks. Data were analyzed by Wil-coxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results. In all the study groups, there were statistically significant reductions in salivary S. mutans counts two weeks after using the mouthwashes (P < 0.05). In addition, fluoride-chlorhexidine mouthwash had a significant effect on the reduction of S. mutans count in comparison with fluoride alone. The prevalence of oral side effects in fluoride-chlorhexidine mouth-wash was more than 90%. Conclusion. Adding fluoride to chlorhexidine mouthwash can significantly decrease salivary S. mutans count after two weeks. Fluoride-chlorhexidine has the highest rate of oral side effects between the evaluated mouthwash compounds.