Treatment of aphthous patients by enhancement of the salivary peroxidase system.

The inhibition of glucose-stimulated acid production by indigenous bacteria in human saliva is not achieved by the addition of up to 250 microM hydrogen peroxide in vitro. However, in the presence of 2 X 10(-4)% of hydroxyquinoline and the same amount of Zn, acid production is immediately terminated by addition of peroxide to only 25 microM. No inhibition is observed when any one of these components is omitted. On the basis of these observations, a mouthrinse containing the same concentrations of hydroxyquinoline and Zn was prepared. Hydrogen peroxide was provided by including glucose oxidase and amyloglucosidase. This mouthrinse was used in a pilot clinical study of 64 patients subject to severe aphthous attacks which were not previously relieved by the use of a peroxidogenic toothpaste. After a two-month period, during which these patients rinsed twice daily with 5 ml of the mouthrinse, 45 patients reported relief of their symptoms. Of the remaining 19 patients, 17 reported no effect of using the mouthrinse, while 2 reported an exacerbation of their symptoms. The results of this study suggest that the mouthrinse may be an effective method for treating patients who suffer from severe aphthous attacks.