In vitro antibacterial efficacy of cetylpyridinium chloride-containing mouthwashes.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the ability of three CPC-containing mouthwashes to kill planktonic bacteria in an in vitro short-exposure assay.

Methods: This blind study was conducted on two common oral bacterial species: Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans and Streptococcus mutans. The following mouthwashes were tested: two containing 0.