Impact of chlorhexidine mouth rinse use on postextraction infection via nitric oxide pathway.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: Nitric oxide (NO) has been linked to inflammatory reactions, tissue destruction, host defense, and wound healing in oral diseases. It is known that arginase enzyme controls the synthesis of NO through arginine depletion. This study evaluated the arginase-NO pathway alteration in response to tissue injury after dental extraction surgery and the effect of postoperative use of 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate rinse (CHX).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 28 individuals who had impacted mandibular third molars. They were randomly divided into two groups. Group A was comprised of 13 individuals who used postoperative CHX (0.2%) rinse, while group B included 15 individuals who did not use postoperative CHX rinse. For each patient, periodontal inflammatory status was evaluated. Salivary and gingival tissue samples were obtained before and 1 h and 1 week after the surgery to determine the NO level and arginase activity using spectrophotometric methods.

RESULTS: NO level of tissue samples displayed an insignificant decrease in both groups postoperatively. However, arginase activity of tissue samples was significantly higher in group B compared to group A 1 week after surgery (p
CONCLUSION: Results indicated that good oral hygiene following periodontal treatment prior to third molar surgery was related to an increase in arginase activity, which may improve wound healing. However, use of CHX rinse following periodontal treatment had no pronounced effect on the arginase-NO pathway.