Expert: Mark Bornfeld DDS - 5/30/2007

Question
I would like to know that whether their has been a head to head study between Cholrhexidne Gluconate & Povidone Iodine regrading their efficacy in preventing periodontitis/gingivitis and in the formation of plaque/Calculus?

Answer
Dear Richard,

There have been several studies that attempt to quantify the effectiveness of various topical antiseptic agents in the control of bacterial plaque and periodontal disease-- you can run a search engine query and find any number of confusing studies-- see http://tinyurl.com/368asb

The difficulty is in translating an in-vitro objective assessment to clinical real-world situations, where dosage, mode of application, patient compliance, variations in gingival architecture, variations in disease expression, and the real difficulty in quantitatively assessing therapeutic result. Just what the implications of these studies may be are difficult to interpret.

The advantage of chlorhexidine gluconate lies in its persistence in the mouth; it combines chemically with tissue surfaces, thereby prolonging its antimicrobial activity. The conventional wisdom on this property alone would give the intuitive edge to chlorhexidine. Whether this perceived advantage really translates to better plaque control is something that has not been unequivocally demonstrated-- not to me, at least.

Hope this helps...

Mark Bornfeld DDS
www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY