Cochrane · intervention · CD008676

Chlorhexidine mouthrinse as an adjunctive treatment for gingival health

James, P, Worthington, HV, Parnell, C, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2017 · Cochrane Library

Oral HealthPeriodontology2 versionsAMSTAR 2: not assessed
Full textEvery question was extracted from the full review (methods and results), not only its Summary of Findings table.
Questions
12
current version
GRADE rated
5
No studies
0
Included studies
51
as reported
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 7 · 58.3%Very low 0 · 0%Low 0 · 0%Moderate 1 · 8.3%High 4 · 33.3%

Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.

Review question

ElementPlanned (methods)Found (results)
PopulationChildren or adults with gingivitis or periodontitis capable of performing normal mechanical oral hygiene procedures (participants aged 16 or less classified as children); studies with some or all participants having medical conditions or special care needs includedChildren and adults with gingivitis or periodontitis, including some with medical conditions or special care needs; 5345 participants analysed in relevant study arms (per-study analysed numbers 20 to 852) (n=51 studies)
InterventionChlorhexidine mouthrinse (any concentration, volume, frequency or duration of rinsing) used in conjunction with mechanical oral hygiene procedures (could include chlorhexidine containing fluoride, and baseline prophylaxis if applied to all arms)Chlorhexidine mouthrinse, concentrations 0.05% to 0.2% (n=51 studies)
ComparisonMechanical oral hygiene alone; or mechanical oral hygiene plus placebo/control mouthrinsePlacebo mouthrinse (n=35 studies); Control mouthrinse (n=7 studies); No mouthrinse / mechanical oral hygiene alone (n=9 studies)
OutcomesPrimary: Gingivitis (gingival inflammation and gingival bleeding) measured using any appropriate index/scale (e.g. Gingival Index of Loe and Silness, Modified Gingival Index, Gingival Bleeding Index). Secondary: Dental plaque (any index, e.g. Plaque Index, Turesky modification of Quigley and Hein Index); Calculus (any index); Tooth staining (any index); Adverse effects (e.g. mucosal desquamation, taste disturbances, allergic reactions)Gingival inflammation - Gingival Index (n=31 studies); Gingival bleeding (n=34 studies); Plaque (n=48 studies); Calculus (n=12 studies); Extrinsic tooth staining (n=21 studies); Other adverse effects (n=22 studies)
Study designsParallel-group randomised controlled trials (RCTs); cross-over studies excludedParallel-group RCT (n=51 studies)
TimingDuration of mouthrinsing at least 4 weeks; outcomes grouped at 4 to 6 weeks, 7 to 12 weeks, 13 weeks to 6 months and greater than 6 months (primary analyses at 4 to 6 weeks and 6 months)Studies ranged from 4 weeks to 2 years duration; outcomes extracted at 4 to 6 weeks, 7 to 12 weeks, 13 weeks to 6 months and greater than 6 months

Search date: 2016-09. Databases: Cochrane Oral Health's Trials Register; Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); MEDLINE Ovid; Embase Ovid; CINAHL EBSCO

Questions and results

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Chlorhexidine mouthrinse (any concentration; 0.05% to 0.2%) used in conjunction with mechanical oral hygiene procedures vs Placebo/control mouthrinse, or no mouthrinse (mechanical oral hygiene alone); controls pooled (protocol's separate comparisons versus mechanical oral hygiene alone and versus placebo/control merged)

Population: Children or adults with gingivitis or periodontitis capable of performing normal mechanical oral hygiene procedures (some with medical conditions or special care needs)
12 questions
OutcomeEffectEvidenceStatus / GRADE
Supragingival calculus formation (various calculus indices)
7 to 12 weeks
SMD 0.32 [-0.04, 0.69]6 studies · 425 participantsUngraded
Gingivitis (gingival inflammation) measured by Gingival Index of Loe and Silness
6 months
MD -0.20 [-0.30, -0.11]13 studies · 2616 participantsHigh
Gingival bleeding (various bleeding indices)
6 months
SMD -0.72 [-1.02, -0.42]8 studies · 1132 participantsUngraded
Supragingival calculus formation (various calculus indices)
4 to 6 weeks
SMD 0.02 [-0.09, 0.14]2 studies · 102 participantsUngraded
Gingival bleeding (various bleeding indices)
4 to 6 weeks
SMD -0.56 [-0.79, -0.33]8 studies · 649 participantsUngraded
Supragingival calculus formation (various calculus indices)
6 months
SMD 0.80 [0.33, 1.26]4 studies · 323 participantsUngraded
Gingivitis (gingival inflammation) measured by Gingival Index of Loe and Silness
4 to 6 weeks
MD -0.21 [-0.31, -0.11]
0.17 to 1.40 across control groups (mean 0.93, median 1.0) vs 0.21 lower (0.11 to 0.31 lower)
10 studies · 805 participantsHigh
Dental plaque (various plaque indices)
6 months
SMD -1.43 [-1.76, -1.10]11 studies · 2075 participantsHigh
Other adverse effects (taste disturbance, oral mucosal effects, burning sensation)
SoF narrative row (Other adverse effects): 22 trials reported at least 1 adverse effect apart from extrinsic tooth staining and calculus formation in the chlorhexidine rinse arms. The adverse effects most commonly…22 studiesUngraded
Extrinsic tooth staining (various staining indices)
6 months
SMD 1.54 [1.22, 1.86]4 studies · 323 participantsUngraded
Dental plaque (various plaque indices)
4 to 6 weeks
SMD -1.45 [-1.90, -1.00]
Plaque Index 0.75 to 1.06; Turesky Quigley-Hein Index 1.2 to 3.3 vs SMD 1.45 lower (1.00 to 1.90 lower)
12 studies · 950 participantsHigh
Extrinsic tooth staining (various staining indices)
4 to 6 weeks
SMD 1.07 [0.80, 1.34]
Measured on different scales (mean tooth staining score) vs SMD 1.07 higher (0.80 to 1.34 higher)
8 studies · 415 participantsModerate
Downgraded: risk of bias