Presurgical antiseptic efficacy of chlorhexidine gluconate and povidone-iodine on the mucous membrane of mandibular gingiva in dogs

Since in dogs the bacterial count is higher in the oral cavity than on the skin surface, it is very important to select an effective antiseptic that would greatly reduce the number of intraoral pathogenic microorganisms, thereby reducing the frequency of postoperative complications, especially postoperative infections after intraoral procedures. The objective of this study was to investigate the basic aerobic bacterial micro-flora in the dog mouth and to investigate the antiseptic efficacy of 0.4% chlorhexidine gluconate and 1% povidone-iodine on mandibular gingival mucous membrane. A total of 45 dogs were divided into three groups. The CH group was treated with 0.4% chlorhexidine gluconate, the PI group with 1% povidone-iodine and the SL group with saline. Swabs were taken from the mandibular gingiva, before and after treatment with antiseptic solution. The number of bacteria was determined using the semiquantitative method, and the identification of bacterial colonies was performed after colonization of individual colonies on blood agar. Of the total 90 swabs, 30 species of aerobic bacteria were isolated and identified. Regarding antiseptic efficiency, both chlorhexidine gluconate and povidone-iodine showed statistically significant reductions of growth of bacterial colonies compared to the control group. There were no differences between the two tested antiseptics regarding their efficacy in reducing the growth of bacterial colonies, and the number of positive swabs obtained after rinsing with chlorhexidine gluconate and povidone-iodine was identical. Based on the results, a 2-minute flush with 0.4% chlorhexidine gluconate or 1% povidone-iodine is recommended for presurgical preparation of the oral cavity in dogs.