Preprocedural mouthrinses significantly reduce the number of
microorganisms in the dental aerosol suggests a recent study published in The
Journal of the American Dental Association
The authors of this systematic review aimed to evaluate the
efficacy of preprocedural mouthrinses in reducing the number of microorganisms
disseminated by means of the aerosol generated via dental procedures when
compared with a placebo, water, or no mouthrinse.
Types of Studies Reviewed
The authors included only randomized clinical trials. They
searched MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Google Scholar, and Latin American and
Caribbean Health Sciences Literature databases through May 31, 2019. They
performed random-effects meta-analysis for reduction of the number of
colony-forming units (CFU) in the dental aerosol.
Results
Of 770 potentially relevant articles, the authors included
13 randomized clinical trials in which researchers studied the efficacy of
chlorhexidine, essential oils, cetylpyridinium chloride, and herbal products.
Meta-analysis of 12 studies showed that mouthrinses with chlorhexidine,
essential oils, and cetylpyridinium chloride significantly reduced the number
of CFU. Overall, the use of a preprocedural mouthrinse resulted in a mean
reduction in the number of CFUs of 64.8% (95% confidence interval, 50.4% to
79.3%; I2 = 37%) compared with control. None of the included studies presented
a low risk of bias.
Practical Implications
Some dental procedures result in dissemination of
microorganisms in the aerosol in the dental office. There is moderate evidence
that preprocedural mouthrinses significantly reduce the number of
microorganisms in the dental aerosol.
Reference:
Vanessa Costa Marui et al. Efficacy of preprocedural
mouthrinses in the reduction of microorganisms in aerosol. A systematic review.
The Journal of the American Dental Association. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2019.06.024