Open AccessAntimicrobial effect of natural kinds of toothpaste on oral pathogenic bacteria
Author(s) -
Serdar Demir,
Gül Keskin,
Neşe Akal,
Yasemin Zer
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of infection in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.322
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 2036-6590
pISSN - 1972-2680
DOI - 10.3855/jidc.14966
Subject(s) - antimicrobial , toothpaste , streptococcus mutans , enterococcus faecalis , aloe vera , food science , propolis , theobromine , medicine , traditional medicine , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , dentistry , biology , pharmacology , staphylococcus aureus , genetics , theophylline
Because of the adverse effects on human health of some antimicrobial ingredients in traditional toothpaste, consumers are increasingly turning to toothpastes with natural ingredients. This study evaluates the antimicrobial effect of toothpastes containing different natural active agents against three oral pathogens: Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Enterococcus faecalis.
Methodology: This study tested one traditional toothpaste and seven different natural toothpastes containing theobromine, aloe vera, miswak, propolis, chitosan, enzymes and probiotics. The agar-well diffusion method was used to test the antimicrobial effect. Inhibition zones formed around toothpastes after 24 hours of incubation were measured and the data collected were statistically analyzed.
Results: Toothpastes containing theobromine and chitosan and the traditional toothpaste showed antimicrobial efficacy for all tested bacteria. Toothpastes containing aloe vera, miswak, and propolis were only effective on S. mutans, while toothpastes containing probiotics and enzymes did not show any antimicrobial effect on the bacteria. Among toothpastes with natural ingredients, the theobromine-containing toothpaste showed the highest efficacy on S. mutans, while the aloe vera- and propolis-containing toothpastes had the lowest efficacy (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Theobromine- and chitosan-containing toothpastes, which showed antimicrobial activity against all bacteria, can be recommended as alternatives to traditional toothpastes.