Impact of chlorhexidine mouth rinse use on postextraction infection via nitric oxide pathway

Objective and design Nitric oxide (NO) has been linked to inflammatory reactions, tissue destruction, host defense, and wound healing in oral diseases. It is known that arginase enzyme controls the synthesis of NO through arginine depletion. This study evaluated the arginase–NO pathway alteration in response to tissue injury after dental extraction surgery and the effect of postoperative use of 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate rinse (CHX).