Recent research has found that chlorhexidine can strengthen restoration bonds by protecting them from matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), enzymes that attack collagen in dentin. Now researchers are saying that chlorhexidine and another MMP inhibitor may protect against the acids in soft drinks.
In the Journal of Dental Research (May 2010, Vol. 89:5, pp. 468-472), researchers from the University of SĂŁo Paulo reported treating bovine dentin blocks with gels containing chlorhexidine and epigallocatechin gallate. As controls, they treated blocks with gels containing sodium fluoride and treated other blocks with gels that contained no active ingredient. Ten volunteers wore the various blocks while drinking Coca-Cola four times a day for five days.
The researchers found that the blocks treated with chlorhexidine and epigallocatechin gallate eroded only 0.05 ± 0.02 µg, while those treated with fluoride eroded 0.79 ± 0.35 µg and those treated with plain gel eroded 1.77 ± 0.35 µg. The difference between the MMP inhibitors and the controls were statistically significantly (p < 0.01).
The study "opens a new perspective for protection against dental erosion," they concluded.
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