Practical use of povidone-iodine antiseptic in the maintenance of oral health and in the prevention and treatment of common oropharyngeal infections

Kanagalingam, J.; Feliciano, R.; Hah, J. H.; Labib, H.; Le, T. A.; Lin, J.-C.

After almost 60 years on the market, the safety profile of PVP-I is well-established. Although measurable systemic absorption may occur with the long-term use of PVP-I, its clinical manifestation as thyroid dysfunction is not very common (51) . Previous studies reported PVP-I mouthwash used four times daily for a short period (2 weeks) or once-daily for a prolonged period (24 weeks) did not affect thyroid function (113, 114) . However, increases in serum thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations that may occur with prolonged PVP-I treatment (24 weeks), may benefit from a 3-week drug holiday to allow the serum TSH levels to return to baseline levels (114) . PVP-I is therefore not to be used in those with hyperthyroidism and other diseases of the thyroid. In addition, the use of PVP-I gargle should only be used during pregnancy and lactation if strictly indicated, and should be kept to the absolute minimum (115) . PVP-I was found to be favourably tolerated by children receiving PVP-I for dental conditions (102), and in general was shown to be 20 times better tolerated than other common antiseptics (116) . While a few cases of allergic dermatitis after prolonged skin contact with PVP-I have been reported (117) , this is considered to be a rare complication and differs to local pruritus and skin irritation (117, 118) . Overall, the allergenic profile of PVP-I compares well to those of other antiseptics (118) .