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Quality‐specific taste impairment following the application of chlorhexidine digluconate mouthrinses
Author(s) -
Lang Niklaus P.,
Catalanotto Frank A.,
Knöpfli Roland U.,
Antczak Alexia A. A.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of clinical periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.456
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1600-051X
pISSN - 0303-6979
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-051x.1988.tb01553.x
Subject(s) - chlorhexidine , taste , medicine , dentistry , oral hygiene , gingivitis , citric acid , food science , chemistry
Although chlorhexidine has been widely used in the prevention and treatment of gingivitis, its effects on taste sensation have not been well studied. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate taste alterations following regular applications of 0.2yo chlorhexidine mouthrinses. 24 healthy and nonsmoking clinical instructors, dental assistants and dental students were divided into 3 groups after having reached a status of clinical gingival health by 4 weeks of supervised oral hygiene procedures. Following this, they were asked to abolish all mechanical oral hygiene for a period of 14 days, during which time they rinsed twice daily with different mouthrinses. Group A rinsed with a 0.2% chlorhexidine solution, group B served as control and utilized a 0.001 molar solution of quinine hydrochloride as a placebo rinse, A second control group (C) rinsed with distilled water. At days −3 and −2, as well as at days 1, 2, 13 and 14 of the experimental period, and I and 2 days after cessation of the rinsing, taste sensitivity was evaluated by a magnitude estimation, supralhreshold scaling procedure for the 4 taste qualities – sweet, salty, sour and bitter. 6 different concentrations of each of sucrose, sodium chloride, citric acid and quinine hydrochloride were utilized. Magnitude estimations of the perceived intensities of each series of test solutions were calculated. The analysis of co–variance revealed significant differences at the short‐term and treatment‐related suprathreshold scaling responses between both control groups (B. C) and the test group (A) for the sodium chloride magnitude estimation function. However, no significant inter‐group differences in the magnitude estimation function were found for the remaining taste qualities. While no significant changes were observed in the intra‐group comparison between baseline, short‐term, treatment‐related or post‐treatment suprathreshold scaling responses for any of the taste qualities in the 2 control groups (B, C). the test group (A) rinsing with 0.2% chlorhexidine revealed a significant change in the magnitude estimation function for the sodium chloride solutions. This change was noted in the short–term evaluation and persisted throughout the experimental period. After cessation of the rinsing period, the magnitude estimate for sodium chloride was almost identical to baseline data. The results therefore suggest a specific short–lasting taste impairment for salty taste following rinses with a 0.2% aqueous solution of chlorhexidine.