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Limited evidence of the effect of chlorhexidine varnish (CHX-V) on root caries
1Department of Public Health, NHS Fife, Cameron Hospital, Windygates, Scotland, UK.
Data Sources:
Medline, CENTRAL and Embase and the reference lists of included articles.
Study Selection:
Randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) or controlled clinical trials (CCTs) conducted in adults over 18 that compared CHX-V against placebo or control that reported root caries incidence and/or root caries activity were included. Only papers written in English were included.
Data Extraction And Synthesis:
Study selection and data abstraction were carried out independently by two reviewers with disagreements resolved by discussion with third reviewer if required. Where appropriate, a meta-analysis was carried out using a 'random effect' model. As only a few studies could be included in the meta-analysis, data were also presented in a descriptive manner.
Results:
Searches identified 32 papers with six meeting the inclusion criteria. Data extraction provided no conclusive evidence that the application of CHX-V is effective in patients when regular professional oral prophylaxis is performed. If effective, the 40% CHX-V was found to provide a benefit over a control or fluoride varnish. CHX-V at lower concentrations (1 and 10%) may provide protection against root caries in high-risk patients (such as geriatric and xerostomia patients) in the absence of regular professional oral prophylaxis.
Conclusions:
Within the limitations of this review, it may be concluded that in the absence of regular professional tooth cleaning and oral hygiene instructions, CHX-V may provide a beneficial effect in patients in need of special care. The strength of this recommendation is graded as 'weak'.
