Caries and gingivitis prevention may benefit from chemotherapeutic plaque control, therefore we compared in a cross-over study with 5 subjects the anti-acidogenic effects of a single use of AmF-SnF2 mouthrinse solutions (Meridol((R)) with and without 5% alcohol) with baseline and with the effects of a placebo and a chlorhexidine mouthrinse (CHX). Buccal plaque was collected 0.5, 3 and 8 h after the subjects used one of the mouthrinses, each time before and after a rinse with 10% sucrose to induce lactic acid production. Samples were analysed for acid anions by capillary electrophoresis and for protein. At 0.5 h after the use of AmF-SnF2 or CHX, the concentration of acetate in resting plaque was 70% lower than at baseline or after using the placebo, Average post-sucrose acetate and lactate concentrations in the placebo group were 30-80% higher than at baseline; up to 3 h this difference was significant. 8 h after using AmF-SnF2 or CHX, the post-sucrose acetate and lactate concentrations were still 30-50% lower than after the placebo, and up to 40% lower than at baseline. To conclude, AmF-SnF2 in both Meridol formulations and CHX were shown to have a similar potency to inhibit acid production after a single rinse. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel.