The oral clearance of chlorhexidine solutions and gels

The oral clearance of 4 chlorhexidine (CH) preparations was investigated. Two 0.2% CH-solutions, Plak-Out liquid, a 10% alcoholic CH-solution and an aqueous ICI-Hibitane solution were compared with two chlorhexidine gels, Corsodyl gel (0.1%) and a test CH-gel (1.0%) prepared in this laboratory. Thirty subjects, 17 to 57 years of age and exhibiting a variety of oral hygiene conditions, participated in supervised rinsing with CH-solutions and toothbrushing with gels carried out at weekly intervals to eliminate carry-over effects. Mixed saliva samples were taken 7.5, 15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes following each administration and were analysed spectrophotometrically. The relative oral CH-retention values were for Plak-Out liquid 91%, aqueous Hibitane solution 69%, Corsodyl gel 46% and with the laboratory chlorhexidine gel 37%.