Chlorhexidine varnishes prevent gingivitis in adolescents.
BACKGROUND
Chlorhexidine, a cationic anti-microbial agent, prevents gingivitis by inhibiting plaque accumulation. Gingivitis is the most predominant form of periodontal disease in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a chlorhexidine varnish on the gingival status of adolescents.


METHODS
The subjects of this study were 10-15 years old adolescents randomly divided into a control (C) and a treatment (T) group, n = 53 and n = 57, respectively. After restoration of all caries lesions, a prophylaxis was given to both C and T groups. A 10 percent chlorhexidine varnish was applied to the entire dentition of T subjects at BL; and one week and three months thereafter. One calibrated examiner determined blindly the Gingival Index (GI) of all subjects.


RESULTS
The average percentage of sites per subject with GI scores of 2 or 3 at BL, and after three and six months for the T group were, respectively, 3.68 +/- 7.13, 0.71 +/- 2.43 and 0.16 +/- 0.62. The corresponding values for the C group were 2.11 +/- 3.68, 1.27 +/- 2.94 and 1.59 +/- 5.20. Profile analysis revealed that over a 6-month period subjects of T group had significantly fewer sites with GI scores 2 and 3 than subjects in the C group (p = 0.025).


CONCLUSIONS
It is concluded that the professional application of a chlorhexidine varnish significantly improved the gingival health of adolescents over a 6-month period.
Bretz
W A
WA
University of Pittsburgh, Departments of Restorative Dentistry and Dental Public Health, School of Dental Medicine, PA, USA.
Valente
M I
MI
Djahjah
C
C
do Valle
E V
EV
Weyant
R J
RJ
Nör
J E
JE
D000287:Administration, Topical; D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018890:Chemoprevention; D002648:Child; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003777:Dental Prophylaxis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000517:prevention & control; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D010150:Paint; D010512:Periodontal Index; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000254:growth & development
D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D002710:Chlorhexidine