Satisfaction with government recommended pre-procedural mouth rinses in the mitigation of Covid-19 in Hong Kong SAR: A triple blind randomized controlled clinical trial

Shan Huang; Yiu Yan Leung; Prasanna Neelakantan; Kwok Hung Chan; Joy Ka Yi Leung; Fan Ngai Hung; Colman McGrath

doi:10.1016/j.jdent.2024.105082

Satisfaction with government recommended pre-procedural mouth rinses in the mitigation of Covid-19 in Hong Kong SAR: A triple blind randomized controlled clinical trial

J Dent. 2024 May 16:146:105082. doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2024.105082. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Shan Huang¹, Yiu Yan Leung¹, Prasanna Neelakantan², Kwok Hung Chan³, Joy Ka Yi Leung³, Fan Ngai Hung⁴, Colman McGrath⁵

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China.
² University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, USA.
³ Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China.
⁴ Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU. & Honorary Consultant in Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, PR China.
⁵ Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China. Electronic address: mcgrathc@hku.hk.

PMID: 38762080
DOI: 10.1016/j.jdent.2024.105082

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate satisfaction and acceptability with three pre-procedural mouthrinses recommended by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Material and methods: A triple-blind parallel-arm randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted. Following eligibility assessment, participants were block-randomised to the three intervention pre-procedural mouthrinses groups: Povidone-iodine, Hydrogen Peroxide and Chlorhexidine Digluconate. Participants rinsed with one of the mouthrinses assigned prior to any dental treatment. Participants, operators and assessors were blind to the assigned mouthrinses (triple blind). Satisfaction ratings were assessed on a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) and acceptability of the mouthrinses were determined.

Results: Following clinical screening, 228 participants were involved in the trial. The mean overall VAS satisfaction was 7.35 (SD 1.68). There was no significant difference in VAS satisfaction ratings among the three groups (p>0.05) nor in between groups. Acceptability of the mouthrinses was high with the vast majority (89.5 %, 204) willing to use the mouthrinses again if pre-procedural mouthrinsing is required. There was no significant difference in acceptability ratings (p>0.05). There were some aspects such as taste and smell that participants commented on (on average, 24.6 %, 56), although no significant difference in prevalence of reports among groups (p>0.05).

Conclusions: There were high rates of satisfaction and acceptability of the HKSAR Government recommended pre-procedural mouthrinses for the mitigation of COVID-19 transmission in the dental setting. There was no significant difference in satisfaction and acceptability rates among the three recommended pre-procedural mouthrinses.

Clinical relevance: The high satisfaction and acceptability rates of the HKSAR Government recommended pre-procedural mouthrinses in the mitigation of COVID-19 in this clinical trial lends support for the HKSAR's policy on pre-procedural mouthrinses in the dental setting and this has implications for practice and policy during pandemics.

Keywords: COVID-19; Pandemics; Pre-procedural mouthrinses; Satisfaction ratings.