A comparison between chlorhexidine and some quaternary ammonium compounds with regard to retention, salivary concentration and plaque-inhibiting effect in the human mouth after mouth rinses

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Abstract

The oral retention of chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (a component of cetrimide) was measured by means of 14C-labelled compounds in 7 subjects after 10-ml 2.2 mM mouth rinses for 1 min. The oral retention of chlorhexidine was 32 ± 6 per cent, of cetylpyridinium chloride 65 ± 5 per cent and of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide 70 ± 7 per cent of the administered dose. The salivary concentration was measured after similar mouth rinses in 3 subjects and calculated according to the 14C-activity of saliva samples from 0.5 to 24 h after the rinsing. Although the concentrations of the quaternary ammonium compounds were usually higher than those of chlorhexidine shortly after rinsing, their concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.001) than those of chlorhexidine from 4 h and onwards. The plaque-inhibiting effect was assessed in subjects who rinsed with 2.2 mM test solutions twice daily for 3 days, using sucrose rinses to provoke plaque formation. The plaque-inhibiting effect of the quaternary ammonium compounds was also tested when used in a mouth rinse four times daily. A moderate degree of plaque inhibition was obtained when the quaternary ammonium compounds were used twice daily. When the frequency was increased to four times daily, the plaque-inhibiting effect of the quaternary ammonium compounds seemed to approach that of chlorhexidine.

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