Register for One-Stage Mouth Disinfection Effective With or Without Chlorhexidine
PeriodontitisSeptember 25, 2000
(NewsRx.com) -- The "one-stage full-mouth" method of oral cleansing and debridement is superior to conventional techniques for periodontitis patients, with or without the use of chlorhexidine as a disinfectant, according to researchers writing in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology.
"The one stage full-mouth disinfection procedure involves scaling and rootplaning of all pockets within 24 hours in combination with an extensive application of chlorhexidine to all intra-oral niches such as periodontal pockets, tongue dorsum, [and] tonsils," explained M. Quirynen and colleagues at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium in their report.
Quirynen and colleagues studied three groups of 12 patients with advanced periodontitis, with one control group undergoing conventional quandrant-by-quadrant scaling and root planing, and the other two groups undergoing one-stage full-mouth cleaning with or without chlorhexidine ("The role of chlorhexidine in the one-stage full-mouth disinfection treatment of patients with advanced adult periodontitis - Long-term clinical and microbiological observations," J Clin Periodontol, 2000;27(8):578-589).
Although all three methods led to significant improvements in levels of plaque and gingivitis, the researchers reported, patients who underwent the one-stage full-mouth treatment showed significantly greater reductions in probing depth (by an average of roughly 1.5 mm) and improvements in clinical attachment levels (2 mm for pockets 7 mm or greater).
In addition, patients who were treated with the one-stage full-mouth technique had more favorable microbiological parameters, with greater reductions in key pathogens as well as spirochetes and motile organisms, said Quirynen et al.
But they found no statistically significant difference observed between patients who underwent full-mouth cleansing with chlorhexidine as a disinfectant and those who were treated without it.
"These findings suggest that the benefits of a "one-stage full-mouth disinfection" in the treatment of patients suffering from severe adult periodontitis probably results from the full-mouth scaling and root planing within 24 hours rather than the beneficial effect of chlorhexidine," Quirynen and colleagues concluded.
For additional information, contact M. Quirynen, Catholic University Louvain, Fac Med, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology & Maxillofacial Surgery, Dept. Periodontology, Capucijnenvoer 7, B-3000 Louvain, Belgium.
Key points reported in this study include:
* The "one-stage full-mouth" method of oral cleansing and debridement is superior to conventional techniques for periodontitis patients
* Patients treated with the one-stage full-mouth technique instead of traditional conservative quadrant-by-quadrant cleansing showed significantly greater improvements in probing depth, attachments levels, and microbiological parameters
* There was no statistically difference between patients treated with and without the use of chlorhexidine as a disinfectant
This article was prepared by Health & Medicine Week editors from staff and other reports.
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