Efficacy of Oxygen-Enriched Mouthwash as a Pre-procedural Mouth Rinse Against Oral Microbes Produced During Ultrasonic Scaling.

Abstract

Aim Oxygen-enriched mouthwash products are based on oral topical oxygen therapy (OOT), whichsupports the formation of new blood vessels and the removal of toxins and waste products from the affected areaand stimulates the synthesis of collagen. These antioxidant mouthwashes containhoney, lactoferrin, and sodium carbonate peroxide. Lactoferrinis an anti-inflammatory protein that binds the ferrous ironions surrounding micro-organismsregulating bacterial growth. Hence, these products can be included as an adjunct to toothbrushing after oral surgeries and in the treatment ofconditions like gingival inflammation and peri-implantitis.The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of oxygen-enriched mouthwash as a pre-procedural mouth rinse against oral microbes in the aerosol produced during ultrasonic scaling. Materials and methods A total of 40 patients with an age range of 20-40 years who have been advised to undergo ultrasonic scalingwere selected as study subjects and were randomly allocated to group 1 (test group; n = 20; blue®m mouthwash) and group 2 (control group; n = 20; chlorhexidine). After evaluating the initial bacterial loadafter the use of water (placebo) as pre-rinse on the patient's chest and shoulder areas in both experimental and control groups, both the group subjects were instructed to gargle with 10 ml of the provided mouth rinse for one minute before ultrasonic scaling procedure. Blood agar plates were placed at the patient's chest and shoulder area to collect the aerosol and were later incubated to assess the colony-forming units (CFUs). An independent t-test was done to compare the CFUs between the groups. Results The mean initial bacterial loadafter the use of water (placebo) as pre-rinse on the patients' chest area (122.4 ± 0.6) and shoulder area (109.3 ± 2.6) in the experimental group was similar to the bacterial load seen on the chest area (126.2 ± 4.8) and shoulder area (115.4 ± 3.8) in the control group. The CFUs found in blood agar plates placed on the chest (59.8 ± 2.5) and shoulder (35.3 ± 3.6) areas of patients in group 1 were less as compared to CFUs found in blood agar plates placed on the chest (104.8 ± 3.2) and shoulder (75.3 ± 2.8) areas of patients in group 2. The difference between both groups was statistically significant with a p-value of ≤0.05. Conclusion There is a reduction in the bacterial load in the aerosols that are emitted during the ultrasonic scaling procedure with the use of oxygen-enriched mouthwash as a pre-procedural rinse when compared with chlorhexidine.