Effect of rinsing with phosphorylated chitosan on four-day plaque regrowth.

This clinical investigation examined the effect of phosphorylated chitosan rinsing on plaque development and on the buffering capacity of plaque suspension. Three male adult subjects participated in the trial that was designed as a single blind study. Participants refrained from mechanical oral hygiene procedures during a four-day study and rinsed three times a day with 20 ml of test solutions. A wash-out period of three days was instituted between the placebo and phosphorylated chitosan rinsing period. Clinical evaluation and plaque sampling were performed at the end of each test period. We disclosed plaque accumulations on the buccal upper front teeth with a two-tone disclosing agent to distinguish between newly formed plaque and old plaque. After taking color slides, we then used a computerized image analysis. Tooth areas covered by plaque on the color slides were digitized and expressed as percentages of the tooth area. The buffering capacity of the collected plaque fluid was determined by using a beta-titrator. A mouth rinse containing 0.5% phosphorylated chitosan significantly reduced both newly formed plaque areas (red disclosed; p < 0.001) and old plaque areas (blue disclosed; p < 0.01) compared to a placebo rinsing. However there was no significant difference in the plaque buffering capacity (p > 0.05) between the mouth rinse containing 0.5% phosphorylated chitosan and placebo. These findings might suggest that mouth rinse containing phosphorylated chitosan would be effective in reducing plaque formation and have a slight ability to enhance plaque buffering capacity.