The efficacy of supragingival irrigation with chlorhexidine for plaque control in patients with hematologic malignancies: A randomized clinical trial

Objective: Oral and dental problems are important issues in patients suffering from hematologic malignancies. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of supragingival irrigation with chlorhexidine in improving the oral health status of patients with hematologic malignancies.Methods: This randomized, single-blind, controlled clinical trial, included 32 patients suffering from blood dyscrasia and hospitalized in Imam-Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Participants were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. The control subjects received routine dental care by cleaning their teeth daily with sterilized gauze soaked in normal saline. For the intervention group, supra-gingival irrigation with chlorhexidine was performed in addition to routine dental care. The Debris Index Simplified (DI-S) part of the Oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S) index was recorded in all patients at baseline (T0), one (T1), two (T2), and three (T3) weeks later. The World Health Organization (WHO) scale was used to assess oral mucositis.Results: DI-S decreased significantly in the intervention group (P lt;0.001), and increased significantly in the control group (P=0.04) over the experiment. The study groups had comparable DI-S values at baseline (T0; P=0.48). However, DI-S scores were significantly lower in the experimental than in the control group at T1, T2, and T3 time points (P=0.002, P lt;0.001, and P lt;0.001, respectively). Oral mucositis was observed in only five patients in the control group.Conclusions: Supra-gingival irrigation with chlorhexidine can improve oral hygiene during chemotherapy and may be used by patients and oral care providers in hospital settings.