The knowledge and awareness of dental practitioners on the uses of anti-microbial agents in mouthwashes-a survey

Aim: This survey is conducted to have a wholesome understanding on the knowledge of dental practitioners on the various anti-microbial agents used in commercially available mouthwashes.
Materials and methods: This study is a survey on the knowledge of anti-microbial agents present in mouthwashes among 100 dental practitioners. It was carried out by using a self-administered questionnaire with 9 multiple choice questions and 1 open ended question. The questionnaire was conducted by using survey planet which is an online survey site to make data collection faster and easier.
Results: This survey highlights that the aspect of oral hygiene in patients is accepted by all dentists as to be of utmost importance, and at the same time it brings out the lack of consensus among the treating specialist as to the ways to achieve it. Mouthwashes have only been prescribed very scarcely and 84% of the time is to treat dental carries. 86% of them said that chlorhexidine is the most plaque impeding antimicrobial agent present in mouthwash and 89% of them opted chlorhexidine as the staining agent in mouthwashes. Chlorhexidine on a regular basis could stain the mouth, and if the staining is severe, it could affect the teeth. This however can be treated by either undergoing professional prophylaxis or simply by brushing the teeth and tongue. Among commercially available mouthwashes, chlorhexidine was most commonly selected followed by hexetidine and others. The evidence available in the literature is relatively less given the magnitude of the issue. Through this survey we would like to stress upon the knowledge and awareness among dental practitioners regarding the use of antibiotic mouthwashes.
Conclusion: This survey proves to show that the knowledge of antibiotic mouthwashes among dental practitioners has no gaps that could affect patient safety.