The effect of chlorhexidine application after the
removal of hemostatic agent was evaluated in the second
part of this study and revealed that use of chlorhexidine
after removal of the hemostatic agent reduced
the SBS values and the second part of the null hypothesis was rejected. Application of chlorhexidine to the
cavity prior to its restoration has been recommended in
some studies. [27-30] Residual bacteria have been
shown to proliferate from the smear layer even when
there is good seal from the oral cavity [27] and this
problem may be magnified by microleakage of composite
restoration at the margins not ending on enamel.
[28] A possible solution to this problem is treating the
cavity preparation with chlorhexidine which has a broad
spectrum of action; generally Gram-positive bacteria are
more susceptible than Gram-negative ones, particularly
Streptococcus mutans that seems to be more sensitive to
chlorhexidine. [29] Currently, chlorhexidine is not considered
only as an anti-microbial agent, but a potential
adjuvant to establishing a better bond to dentin. [30]
However, further studies are required in this repute
since there is not a standard consensus and some studies
have reported different results after the use of chlorhexidine.
[30-31]