Chlorhexidine and preservation of sound tooth structure in older adults. A placebo-controlled trial.
The Trial to Enhance Elderly Teeth Health (TEETH) was designed to test the impact of regular rinsing with a 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) solution on tooth loss, and the causes of tooth loss (caries, periodontal disease and trauma) were also investigated. This paper reports on the effectiveness of a 0.12% CHX solution for controlling caries using a tooth surface (coronal and root) survival analysis. A total of 1,101 low income elders in Seattle (United States) and Vancouver (Canada), aged 60-75 years, were recruited for a double-blind clinical trial and assigned to either a CHX (n = 550) or a placebo (n = 551) mouth rinse. Subjects alternated between daily rinsing for 1 month, followed by weekly rinsing for 5 months. All sound coronal and root surfaces at baseline were followed annually for up to 5 years. At each follow-up examination, those tooth surfaces with caries, restored, or extracted were scored as 'carious'. The hazard ratio associated with CHX for a sound surface to become filled, decayed, or extracted was 0.87 for coronal surfaces (95% confidence interval: 0.71-1.14, p = 0.20) and 0.91 for root surfaces (95% confidence interval: 0.73-1.14, p = 0.41). These findings suggest that regular rinsing with CHX does not have a substantial effect on the preservation of sound tooth structure in older adults.
Wyatt
C C L
CC
Department of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. cwyatt@interchange.ubc.ca
Maupome
G
G
Hujoel
P P
PP
MacEntee
M I
MI
Persson
G R
GR
Persson
R E
RE
Kiyak
H A
HA
D000368:Aged; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000379:methods*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008667:Metalloproteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D009067:Mouthwashes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D008667:Metalloproteins; D009067:Mouthwashes; C090220:Perioguard; D002710:Chlorhexidine