Comparison of the efficacy of mouth rinses camellia sinensis extract, guava leaves extract and sodium fluoride solution, on Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus in children (an in vivo study)

Aim The aim of the present study is to assess and compare intraorally the effectiveness of 0.5% Camellia sinensis extract, 0.5% guava leafs extract, 0.2% sodium fluoride solution on the number of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli spp. in the oral cavity. Materials and methods Forty four healthy children of age group 7–12 years was carried out. The subjects were randomly assigned to four groups: (A) 0.5% C. sinensis extract, (B) 0.5% guava leafs extract, (C) 0.2% sodium fluoride, and (D) Saline mouth wash, with 11 subjects per group. Plaque samples were taken and streptococcus mutans bacterial count was assessed before and after using the mouth rinses. Salivary samples were taken and lactobacilli bacterial count was assessed before and after using the mouth rinses. Results In the in vivo analysis Wilcoxon matched pair test and Mann-Whitney U test showed that fluoride, green tea, and guava extract significantly reduced Streptococcus mutans colony counts in plaque compared to saline. While in vivo analysis of lactobacilli in saliva showed that there was a significant difference between the reduction percentage changes of all tested groups but there was no significant difference in the bacterial counts between all the tested groups before and after rinsing. Conclusion In this in vivo study, green tea extract more effective than guava extract on streptococcus mutans in plaque in comparison to Fluoride while guava extract was more effective than green tea extract on lactobacilli in saliva in comparison to fluoride.