Antimicrobial activity of toothpastes and mouthwashes against oral Staphylococcus aureus isolates

Abstract

The incorporation of chemical agents with anti-plaque or antimicrobial activity into dental products has been proposed as a potential prophylactic method of reducing plaque-mediated disease. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of different brands of toothpaste and mouthwash on Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the mouth of healthy Pharmacy students of Igbinedion University Okada. Samples from 40 students {20 male and 20 female students} were included in the study. Swabs were taken from areas very close to the bottom teeth in the students included in the study. The samples were processed in the Pharmaceutical Microbiology laboratory according to standard microbiological procedures for bacteria. Five isolates were confirmed as Staphylococcus aureus among the isolates obtained and used in the susceptibility testing of the toothpastes and mouthwashes using the agar well diffusion method. The selected toothpastes were observed to have better inhibitory activity on the isolates compared to the mouthwash. Toothpaste B had better inhibitory activity on the isolates compared to the other toothpastes. This study shows that dentifrice containing fluoride as main active agent proved more active against the isolates obtained than other dentifrice not containing fluoride as their main active agent.