Effects of chlorhexidine on stem cells from exfoliated deciduous teeth.

Background/purpose: Chlorhexidine (CHX) is a type of chemical antiseptic that is widely used in dental practice. Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) are multipotent cells. However, there is little knowledge about the effects of chlorhexidine on SHED cells. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of CHX on SHED.

Methods: SHED cells were treated with 0.1%, 0.01%, 0.001%, and 0.0001% CHX for 10 seconds to test the effects of different concentrations of CHX on SHED cells. The cells were also treated with 0.01% CHX for 10 seconds, 1 minute, and 5 minutes to test the time effects of CHX on SHED cells. Cell proliferation was investigated by a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and an autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) assay was used for the evaluation of the mineralization potential.

Results: This study demonstrated that different concentrations of CHX had cytotoxic effects on SHED cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The proliferation of SHED cells was inhibited by approximately 50% by the use of 0.01% CHX. It was also found that the cell proliferation and mineralization potential of SHED cells were inhibited to some degree by different concentrations of CHX.

Conclusion: Different concentrations of CHX can inhibit SHED cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, the mineralization potential of SHED cells is inhibited to some degree by different concentrations of CHX.