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Abstract
In-vitro assessment of the antibacterial quality of four commonly used brands of herbal toothpastes in comparison with their corresponding non-herbal toothpastes on Streptococcus mutans was examined. Eight brands of commercially available toothpastes comprising of four herbal and non-herbal brands respectively were purchased in a local market in Awka South, Anambra State, Nigeria. The herbal brands selected were designated AH, BH, CH and DH and their respective non-herbal brands designated ANH, BNH, CNH and DNH served as positive controls. The use of distilled water served as negative control. The antibacterial activity evaluation was performed using agar well diffusion method. Different concentrations of toothpastes were made by 2-fold serial dilution method using sterile distilled water as diluents. Inhibition zones were measured in millimeters after 24hrs. Among the non-herbal toothpastes, triclosan containing toothpaste gave the highest zone of inhibition compared to non-triclosan toothpastes. The herbal toothpaste of each brand gave better inhibition result in comparison with their corresponding non-herbal brands. BH toothpaste gave maximum inhibition followed by AH, CH and lastly DH toothpastes. The result of this study indicates that herbal toothpastes are marginally better in inhibiting the growth of Streptococcus mutans; although both herbal and non-herbal toothpastes were equally effective in reducing pathogenic plaque and maintaining oral hygiene.
Highlights
In Nigeria, as in other developing countries, very significant proportion of dental problems are due to dental biofilms generally known as dental plaque
The antibacterial effect showed that all the toothpastes used had growth inhibitory effect on Streptococcus mutans, and the negative control showed no activity
BH toothpaste brand gave the maximum inhibition zone compared to other toothpastes brand. This was followed by AH, CH and DH
Summary
In Nigeria, as in other developing countries, very significant proportion of dental problems are due to dental biofilms generally known as dental plaque. Dental bio-films are a complex community of microorganisms found on the tooth surface embedded in a matrix of polymers of bacterial and salivary origin. It has been reported that more than 500 bacterial strains which are opportunistic may be found in dental plaque [2]. Poor oral hygiene is one of the reasons for accumulation of these microbes and their harmful activities [3]. Tooth brushing with toothpaste is the most widely practiced form of oral hygiene in most countries [4]. Personal oral hygiene (tooth brushing and flossing) is recommended in the interest of good hygiene and for the control of dental plaque [6]
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