Jasmine Deans
Background:
Microbiomes are all around us, in your gut, on your hands, in your ear, and especially in your mouth. The oral microbiome is one of the most interesting subjects to study because of the complex environment in your mouth. It’s wet, warm, and depending on the person can have a high or low pH. Many factors come into play when it comes to the health of your oral microbiome. One of those factors is chlorhexidine (CHX), an antiseptic mouthwash that has been around since the 1970s. Dentists regularly use chlorhexidine, so how does this affect our microbiome?
Chlorhexidine is an antiseptic agent that is used because of its long-lasting antibacterial effects and the large spectrum of action. It’s used by dentists because there have been studies that have shown its effectiveness in the clinical management of plaque, gingival inflammation, and bleeding (Amoian et al., 2017). Other studies show that it helps reduce the proliferation of some bacterial species associated with periodontal disease as well as reducing levels of bacteria that colonize the top surface of the tongue (Bescos et al., 2020).
Continue reading “Chlorhexidine; How Much Infection Control is too much Infection Control?”