Effects of 0.2% chlorhexidine spray applied once or twice daily on plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation in a geriatric population.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Chlorhexidine (CHX) spray has proven to be an easily applicable method for the chemical control of plaque in elderly and handicapped patients. A randomized double-blind cross-over placebo-controlled trial was undertaken to compare the effects of 0.2% CHX spray applied once or twice daily on the plaque and gingival indexes in 13 institutionalized elderly patients. METHOD The study subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups. During the first 30-day period, one group received 0.2% chlorhexidine spray twice daily and the other received 0.2% CHX spray once daily plus placebo spray once daily. A washout period of 42 days then followed, after which the groups were interchanged and the process was repeated for another 30-day period. Plaque index and gingival index were determined at the beginning and end of each period. The patients continued with their usual oral hygiene practices throughout the study. RESULTS A significant reduction in plaque and gingival indexes was produced in both the groups. There were no significant differences in index scores between the groups. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study suggest that a single-daily application of 0.2% CHX spray is equally as effective in reducing plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation in institutionalized elderly patients as are two-daily applications of the same spray.