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.

Large, well-designed randomised clinical trials are considered the gold standard for assessing a treat-ment intervention (122) . However, their findings can have limited applicability to patients in clinical practice (122) , who are likely to be more heterogeneous. For PVP-I, the number of studies required for the various oropharyngeal conditions and the possible comparators make this an impractical task. Nevertheless, several studies that include in vitro, 'real-world' and small-scale randomised studies of PVP-I provide evidence of its efficacy in preventing and treating common oral and oropharyngeal disorders. The benefits of PVP-I are reflected in its broad-spectrum anti-infective profile, its low potential for resistance as well as its haemostatic and antiinflammatory properties. Furthermore, PVP-I is available in different strengths and formulations: as a 10%, 7.5% and 1% PVP-I gargle and mouthwash across Asia; and e.g. in Japan it is also available as a throat spray (0.45% w/v formulation), thereby allowing flexibility in dosing regimens to suit individual patient's needs.