The Effectiveness of Dequalinium Chloride Compared to Metronidazole as a Therapy for Bacterial Vaginosis

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends antibiotics metronidazole and clindamycin as the first-line therapy for bacterial vaginosis. It correlates with the number of antibiotic resistances. Therefore, an alternative to antibiotic, such as antiseptic, is sought to deal with these problems. Dequalinium chloride (DQC) is one of the antiseptics that has been widely studied as a therapy for bacterial vaginosis. The broad spectrum activity of DQC increases its effectiveness against bacterial vaginosis. This double-blind randomized controlled trial was carried out at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital from November 2020 – October 2021. The effectiveness of Dequalinium chloride was compared with Metronidazole as control (17 subjects for each group). The randomization was performed using block randomization. The outcome that was reported in this study was the cure rate as well as the side effects experienced by the users. The cure rate of subjects in treatment (DQC treatment) group was 94.12%; as compared to 100% in control groups. The difference in cure rate was not statistically significant (p = 0.50). No subjects reported any side effects in both groups. Dequalinium chloride is a safe and effective alternative to Metronidazole in treating bacterial vaginosis.