Clinical and Microbiological Effects of Chlorhexidine Mouth Wash, Chlorhexidine, Metronidazole and Combination Gel on Patients Undergoing Fixed Orthodontic Treatment-A Comparative Study Ramdurg Praveenkumar1, Mendigeri Vijaylaxmi B2, Naveen S3, Handral Ravichandra4, Ganeshkar Sanjay5, Allolli Kunal6 1Associate Professor, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, P.M.N.M, DENTAL College and Hospital, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India 2Associate Professor, Department of Orthodontics, P.M.N.M, DENTAL College and Hospital, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India 3Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, P.M.N.M, DENTAL College and Hospital, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India 4Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics, P.M.N.M, DENTAL College and Hospital, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India 5Professor and Head, Department of Orthodontics, P.M.N.M, DENTAL College and Hospital, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India 6Private Practice, Allolli Multispeciality Dental Hospital, Gadag, Karnataka, India Online published on 15 February, 2017. Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare the short-term clinical effects of a Chlorhexidine mouth wash (CHX-MW), Chlorhexidine gel (CHX), Metronidazole gel (MTZ) and combination of Chlorhexidine and Metronidazole (CHX-MTZ) in orthodontic patients. Materials and Method One hundred fifty subjects undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment selected and divided into five groups: Group 1-Controls, Group 2-Chlorhexidine mouth wash (CHX-MW) gel, Group 3-Chlorhexidine (CHX) gel, Group 4-Metronidazole (MTZ) gel and Group 5-chlorhexidine-metronidazole (CHX-MTZ) gel. Clinical evaluation was undertaken using the probing depth (PD), Gingival Index (GI), Papillary Bleeding Index (PBI) and Microbiological analysis was done Results Groups treated with all three gels (CHX, MTZ and CHX-MTZ) showed significant clinical improvement as compared to the controls and CHX-MW group. Conclusion Topical application of CHX or MTZ alone or in combination may have a role in the management of gingivitis in orthodontic patients. Top Keywords Chlorhexidine, Metronidazole, Probing depth, Gingival Index, Papillary Bleeding Index. Top |