Chlorhexidine is considered to be one of the most effective antiseptics, decreasing dental plaque formation and inhibiting the development of gingivitis.
Material and method: The aim of the present study was to compare two antimicrobial rinsing solutions on saliva from 49 volunteer patients, randomly divided into three groups: Group A (n=16), in which each participant used NaF 0.05% for mouthrinsing twice a day, Group B (n=17), in which the patients used Chlorhexidine digluconat 0.2% for mouthrinsing twice a day and Group C, which was used as a control. Microbiological analysis of saliva was done by "Checkerboard DNA-DNA Hybridization" method for ten bacterial species.
Results: The SPSS 10.1 for Windows statistical software (SPSS Inc 2000) was used for data management and statistical tests. The chlorhexidine significantly reduced the salivary levels of mutans streptococci (p < 0.0001) and lactobacilli (p < 0.05) while the Na F solution did not. The results of this study show the efficiency of mouthrinses with chlorhexidine in reduction of cariogenic species. The chlorhexidine solution is very efficient in reduction of bacteria from saliva and the NaF solution in prophylactic concentration does not have influence on it.