Abstract
Objective: To analyze the physicochemical properties, labeling and antimicrobial activity of mouthwashes for children against oral biofilm microorganisms. Material and Methods: We selected a total of eight brands of mouthwashes and used distilled water and chlorhexidine as negative and positive controls, respectively. The packages were analyzed by direct observation. The assessment of pH, oBrix and kinematic viscosity was carried out using a digital pHmeter, specific field refractometer and capillary viscometer, respectively. For this study, we used strains of Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius and Lactobacillus acidophilus, which were reactivated in BHI and plated on blood agar. Susceptibility tests were made by the agar diffusion method, followed by incubation at 37 oC for 48 hours. Results: The pH, oBrix and viscosity values ranged from 4.89 to 7.23, 2.8 to 20.0, and 1.47 mm²/s to 2.73 mm²/s, respectively. Chlorhexidine was found to show the largest zones of inhibition against S. salivarius and L. acidophilus. This effect was observed for the mouthwashes against S. oralis and S. mutans. Conclusion: The mouthwashes for children tested herein were found to show a neutral or close to neutral pH, presence of soluble solids in their composition and little variation of viscosity. These products proved to show antimicrobial activity on the microorganisms tested, excepting one of the mouthwashes, which showed no effect on S. mutans.
Highlights
IntroductionPreventive dentistry has developed several mechanisms aimed at the control of dental biofilm
Over the past years, preventive dentistry has developed several mechanisms aimed at the control of dental biofilm
The mouthwashes for children tested were found to show a neutral or close to neutral pH, presence of soluble solids in their composition and little variation of viscosity. These products proved to show antimicrobial activity on the microorganisms tested, excepting one of the mouthwashes, which showed no effect on S. mutans
Summary
Preventive dentistry has developed several mechanisms aimed at the control of dental biofilm. Mechanical and chemical methods or even the combination of both have shown to be effective alternatives against oral biofilms. The mechanical methods, e.g. brushing and flossing, are known to be the most effective ones. Chemical methods such as the use of mouthwashes stand out as adjuncts to oral hygiene for significantly reducing the amount of oral biofilm [1,2,3]. The potential risks and/or side effects of mouthwashes may be associated with three main factors: physicochemical properties such as pH, which plays an important role in tooth enamel erosion [5,6]; active substances, namely essential oils, chlorhexidine, triclosan and cetylpyridinium chloride, which have antimicrobial activity [6]; and other ingredients, such as alcohol, which can cause tooth staining, and desquamation and hyper-keratinized lesions in the oral mucosa [6]
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