Objectives Reducing the microbial level in the aerosol created during dental procedures
is essential to avoiding infections. The aim of this study was to examine the change
in Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and the total bacterial load in human saliva in
vivo after a single rinse with different mouthwashes. Material and methods One mL
of unstimulated saliva was collected from volunteers with poor oral hygiene at baseline
and 5 min after a 1-min rinsing with diluted Solumium Oral® (hyper-pure 0.0015% chlorine
dioxide; ClO2), Listerine Total Care®, Corsodyl® (0.2% chlorhexidine-digluconate;
CHX), or BioGate Si*CLEAN for bacterial investigation. In a second study, volunteers
rinsed with 0.003% ClO2 or CHX for 1 min, and saliva was collected at baseline, after
5 min, and after 90 min. After plating, the total plate and S. mutans colony numbers
were determined. Results In the first study, ClO2 and CHX similarly reduced both total
germ and S. mutans numbers, while Listerine Total Care® decreased only the S. mutans
counts. BioGate Si*Clean had no effect on either the total germ or S. mutans numbers.
In the second study, an increasing tendency toward bacterial regrowth was observed
with CHX after 90 min compared to the 5-min value, while no change was measured after
ClO2 rinsing. Conclusion Hyper-pure ClO2 rinsing may be a new promising preventive
and therapeutic adjuvant in dental practice, as it is similar in effectiveness to
the gold standard CHX-containing mouthwashes, especially in patients concerned with
taste or tooth discoloration during oral health therapy.
