Chlorhexidine and Essential Oil Mouthwashes on Human Beta-Defensin 2 (hbD2) and Kathelicidin (LL-37) Saliva Levels

Recent studies have shown that while mouthwashes exhibit antimicrobial properties against bacteria and their products, at the same time showing the cytotoxic effect on living cells in the mouth.29 To the best of our knowledge, there is no information about the toxicity effect of these two mouthwashes, which are highly preferred, on antimicrobial peptides secreted from the oral epithelium. Therefore, our aim in this study is to evaluate the effect of chlorhexidine and essential oil mouthwash on hBD2 and LL-37 in saliva.