Antimicrobial efficacy of herbal extracts combined with zinc oxide eugenol as an obturating material in primary teeth – An in vitro study

Abstract

Background and Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of synthetic obturating material (Zinc oxide eugenol) individually and combined with medicinal plant extracts (Triphala, Aloevera, Tulsi) against four bacterial strains (Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli). Methods: The herbal extracts were independently mixed in different ratios with zinc oxide powder, followed by mixing with eugenol to know the effective concentration using antibacterial assay. Initially different concentrations of each test material were placed into Agar diffusion wells and zones of inhibition were measured against the selected bacteria. The concentration with maximum zone of inhibition for each test material was assessed and grouped as Group I- Triphala and zinc oxide eugenol (80:20), Group II- Aloevera and zinc oxide eugenol (80:20), Group III- Tulsi and zinc oxide eugenol (50:50) and Group IV- Plain zinc oxide eugenol. Results: All the groups exhibited varied antimicrobial activity against test microorganisms which were statistically significant. Highest antimicrobial efficacy was noticed in the group I followed by group II, III and the least with group IV samples. Conclusion: The formulations obtained by incorporating Triphala, Aloevera, Tulsi in Zinc oxide exhibited substantial antimicrobial activity when compared to Zinc oxide eugenol alone. Even though, the tested materials showed good antibacterial activity in this in vitro study, clinical trials need to be conducted before recommending them as obturating materials in primary teeth.