Salivary Streptococcus mutans count and gingivitis in children after rinsing with a chlorhexidine-fluoride solution with and without strontium.

Thirty schoolchildren, 9-12 yr old with high DMF score, rinsed their mouths twice a day for 3 days with a chlorhexidine-fluoride (CXF) solution or a chlorhexidine-fluoride-strontium (CXFSr) solution. Streptococcus mutans counts (CFU) were made from saliva incubated on MSB agar and the gingival bleeding was recorded both before and after the rinsing period. S. mutans count decreased significantly immediately after the rinsing with each of the solutions (from 650 X 10(3) to 170 X 10(3) CFU/ml by CXF and from 500 to 170 X 10(3) CFU/ml by CXFSr). Within about 18 days after the rinsing with each solution the salivary S. mutans counts returned to the original level. Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI) was significantly reduced by half through the CXF rinsing while the slight reduction by CXFSr was nonsignificant. Both of these changes were temporary. The results suggest that short rinsing periods with the CXF solution may be more advisable than daily rinses as a contribution to the maintenance of oral health in subjects or groups in need of such a prophylaxis. The weaker effect found with the CXFSr solution suggests that the cariostatic effect recently found in rats with the same solution may be due to other mechanisms than reduction of the oral S. mutans count.