There is evidence that pathogenic bacteria can adapt to antiseptics upon repeated exposure. More alarming is the concomitant increase in antibiotic resistance that has been described for some pathogens. Unfortunately, efects of adaptation and cross-adaptation are hardly known for oral pathogens, which are very frequently exposed to antiseptics. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the in vitro increase in minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) in oral pathogens after repeated exposure to chlorhexidine or cetylpyridinium chloride, to examine if (cross-)adaptation to antiseptics/ antibiotics occurs, if (cross-)adaptation is reversible and what the potential underlying mechanisms are.

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