The effect of chlorhexidine irrigation on tensile wound strength

Chlorhexidine in an alcohol vehicle with flavoring agents has been used as a mouthrinse to reduce plaque accumulation in periodontal surgery patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a chlorhexidine-containing mouthrinse on the early tensile wound strength of healing surgical wounds in the rat. Standardized transdermal incisions were made on each lateral abdominal wall of 40 Sprague-Dawley rats. Wounds were irrigated with 10 ml of 0.12% chlorhexidine or 10 ml of normal saline prior to closure. Animals were sacrificed at 48 hours and 96 hours, and the wound area was excised by a standardized protocol. Wound strength was measured using constant speed tensiometry to determine the tensile strength of the healing incision. Results revealed a significantly reduced tensile wound strength at 48 hours for the chlorhexidine-treated group (127 +/- 18.5 gm) compared to the saline irrigation group (150 +/- 32.3 gm) (P < 0.001). However, by 96 hours a significantly increased tensile wound strength was demonstrated by the chlorhexidine treated group (202.1 +/- 21.7 gm) compared to the saline irrigation group (183.2 +/- 37.3 gm) (P < 0.05). These data suggest that chlorhexidine-containing mouthrinse irrigation of wounds produced a reduced early tensile wound strength, but ultimately resulted in shorter healing time.