Prosol-chlorhexidine irrigation reduces the incidence of bacteremia during ultrasonic scaling with the Cavi-Med: a pilot investigation.

The purpose of this pilot investigation was to determine whether the incidence of bacteremia following subgingival ultrasonic scaling and root planing could be reduced by the use, pre- and intraoperatively, of an irrigant containing 0.12 per cent chlorhexidine (CHX); Prosol. Individuals having evidence of significant periodontal disease (minimum of seven sites per quadrant 4.0 mm and bleeding on probing) were entered into this study. By use of a random number table, patients were assigned to either the experimental or control groups. The procedures, as described below, were carried out in a double blind fashion so that neither the investigator nor the patient was aware of whether Prosol or placebo was being used. The placebo solution was flavored to make it indistinguishable from Prosol. Patients were first anesthetized. Their gingival crevices were then irrigated using the Cavi-Med ultrasonic scaler. At this point, the ultrasonic action was not activated. Ten minutes later, ultrasonic scaling and root planing with the Cavi-Med unit were begun with a continuous flow of either the placebo or control solutions. Blood samples were taken preoperatively, while postoperative samples were taken one minute after completing the scaling of each quadrant and then 10 minutes after scaling the second quadrant. Routine aerobic and anaerobic bacterial culture methods were used to identify viable blood-borne bacteria. The results show that there was no difference in the distribution or presentation of periodontal disease between the experimental and control quadrants.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)