Chlorhexidine gel and Steradent employed in cleaning dentures

It was the purpose of the study to test the efficacy of brushing with a 1% chlorhexidine gel or a commercial solution cleanser (Steradent) in preventing formation of plaque on the fitting surface of new dentures. The study group consisted of 74 denture wearers with denture stomatitis who were assigned randomly to one of four treatment groups, testing either the chlorhexidine gel, a placebo gel, Steradent, or a placebo solution. The experiment was started immediately after denture treatment was completed. The experimental period was 1 month. The amount of denture plaque, the clinical condition of the palatal mucosa, and the concentration of yeasts in mucosal and denture smears were recorded while the patients used their original dentures and after the experimental period. Plaque had formed on all new dentures but to a smaller extent in the groups testing the chlorhexidine gel or the placebo gel. The study does not provide any obvious evidence of a chemical effect of chlorhexidine gel or Steradent as a means to prevent formation of microbial plaque on the mucosal surface of maxillary complete dentures.