Bactericidal concentrations of chlorhexidine-digluconate, amine fluoride gel and stannous fluoride gel for subgingival bacteria tested in serum at short contact times.

In vitro inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations in serum of chlorhexidine-digluconate, amine fluoride gel, stannous fluoride gel, stannous fluoride, metronidazole and amoxicillin were determined against Bacteroides gingivalis, Bacteroides intermedius, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Capnocytophaga sputigena. The minimal inhibitory concentration was assessed by the agar dilution technique. The killing curves and minimal bactericidal concentration of the antimicrobial agents in inactivated bovine serum were determined after 5, 10, 20 and 60 minutes contact time. The minimal inhibitory concentration varied amongst the tested bacteria. A concentration of 128 micrograms/ml chlorhexidine digluconate, 20 mg/ml amine fluoride gel, 1 mg/ml stannous fluoride, 128 micrograms/ml metronidazole and 4 micrograms/ml amoxicillin inhibited the growth of the tested species. The minimal bactericidal concentration in serum for B. gingivalis, B. intermedius, F. nucleatum, A. actinomycetemcomitans and C. sputigena after 10 min contact time was 5 mg/ml for chlorhexidine digluconate and 100 mg/ml for amine fluoride gel. A concentration of 200 mg/ml stannous fluoride gel in serum was bactericidal for the tested species after 10 min contact time, with exception of F. nucleatum.