Abstract
The objective is to formulate a silver nanoparticle mouthwash and then evaluate its antimicrobial and wound-healing effects in rabbit animal models. Microbial samples were collected from the oral cavity of 60 rabbits. Thereafter, standardized wounds were created in the lateral border of the tongue on the right side for all rabbits. After surgery, digital photographs were obtained from the wounds with standardized settings. To characterize the silver nanoparticles used in the synthetic mouthwash, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and digital light scattering analysis were used. The animal models were then randomly divided into 4 groups: group 1 received 9.80 wt% silver nanoparticle mouthwash; group 2 received all the ingredients of the formulated mouthwash except for silver nanoparticles; group 3 received chlorhexidine 2.0% mouthwash; and the negative control group did not receive any postoperative mouthwash. Microbial samples were collected from oral cavity of the rabbits each day for four postoperative days. Colony-forming unit (CFU) counts were compared post-operatively with the pre-operative counts. In addition, standardized digital photographs were taken each day from the wounds and the area of the wounds was compared in postoperative and pre-operative images. Data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and repeated measures variance analysis (α = 0.05). TEM revealed spherical morphology of silver nanoparticles and digital light scattering showed an average size of 5 nm and optimal distribution of the nanoparticles. CFU count significantly decreased in groups 1 and 3 (P < 0.001), while it significantly increased in groups 2 and 4 (P < 0.001). Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the experimental groups (P < 0.001). In addition, wound area decreased significantly in all groups (P < 0.001). However, the difference between wound areas in the groups was not significant, except for the 4th postoperative day (P < 0.001). However, the antibacterial effects and the wound-healing characteristics of the synthetic silver nanoparticle and chlorhexidine mouthwashes were not significantly different (P > 0.05). Silver nanoparticle mouthwash possesses favorable antibacterial and wound-healing effects. The formulated 9.80 wt% silver nanoparticle mouthwash with a particle size of 5 nm can be a promising alternative for application after oral surgical procedures.
Highlights
Several methods are used for control of dental plaque including mechanical and chemical techniques
The mean values of Colony-forming unit (CFU) counts and wound areas in different groups are presented in Tables 1 and 2, respectively
No significant difference was observed among the groups in surgery day CFU counts and wound area (P = 0.053 and P = 0.473, respectively)
Summary
Several methods are used for control of dental plaque including mechanical and chemical techniques. In patients who have recently experienced trauma or oral surgical procedures, adequate mechanical plaque control is not possible. In these cases, chemical methods for plaque control, such as mouthwashes can be used [1, 2]. Chlorhexidine is the routine antimicrobial mouthwash in dental procedures [5]. One of the advantages of chlorhexidine is its ability to adhere to oral tissues, allowing it to release slowly and provide antimicrobial effects over a certain period of time. The mechanism of action of chlorhexidine is adherence to the bacterial cell wall [6]. Researchers have sought other antimicrobial agents for using as mouthwash [6, 9,10,11]
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