Oral implantation of Streptococcus mutans in man with and without prior chlorhexidine mouthrinses

Oral implantation of streptomycin resistant S. mutans was enhanced when chlorhexidine mouthrinses were applied before implantation. The difference in recovery of implanted bacteria between implantations with and without prior chlorhexidine mouthrinses was significant 9 days (P less than 0.05), 15 days (P less than 0.05) and 28 days (P less than 0.01) after implantation. After 28 days implanted bacteria were no longer detected in any of the 20 test subjects when chlorhexidine was not used prior to implantation, but persisted in 11 subjects when chlorhexidine was used.