Antibacterial Activities of Herbal Toothpastes Combined with Essential Oils against Streptococcus mutans

Abstract

In recent years, people have become more conscious about the side-effects of fluoride toothpastes and herbal products have drawn attention as alternatives in the struggle against caries. Studies have focused on the benefits of essential oils obtained from herbs because of their antibacterial effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the antibacterial activity of Origanum dubium and Cinnamomum cassia oils combined with herbal toothpastes against Streptococcus mutans. The antibacterial activity of the test materials was determined using the agar well diffusion method before and after the addition of essential oils. We tested the efficacy of Splat Organic and Splat Biocalcium against S. mutans (12 mm and 11 mm, respectively) doubled in combination with Origanum dubium (23 mm for both toothpastes) and tripled with Cinnamomum cassia (38 mm and 36 mm, respectively). Jack N’ Jill toothpaste, which did not initially show any antibacterial effect, exhibited the largest inhibition zones after the addition of the essential oils (38 mm for Origanum dubium and 39 mm for Cinnamomum cassia). The results of this study pointed out that herbal toothpastes exhibit statistically higher antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans (p < 0.05) than their initial forms after the addition of essential oils.

New Tricks for Old Guys: Recent Developments in the Chemistry, Biochemistry, Applications and Exploitation of Selected Species from the Lamiaceae Family

“…[298] A higher antibacterial activity was showed by herbal toothpastes after the addition of Origanum dubium EO against S. mutans. [299] A similar enhancement of activity against oral pathogens was observed after the addition of a mixture of EOs (O. vulgare L. ssp. hirtum, Laurus nobilis L., R. officinalis L., Salvia fruticosa MILL.)…”

“…The essential oils of four Thymus species in vitro exhibited an antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans and the effects were also confirmed by an interesting in situ method . A higher antibacterial activity was showed by herbal toothpastes after the addition of Origanum dubium EO against S. mutans . A similar enhancement of activity against oral pathogens was observed after the addition of a mixture of EOs ( O. vulgare L. ssp.…”

Effects of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.) in Dentistry: A Review

“…The inhibitory effect of EO obtained from C. cassia bark added to a toothpaste against S. mutans was reported by Karadağlıoğlu et al [ 68 ]. The combination of cinnamon EO and the selected commercially available herbal toothpastes resulted in a significant increase of the inhibition zone diameter (mean values between 36.33 and 39.67 mm).…”

Comparison of Efficacy of Cannabinoids versus Commercial Oral Care Products in Reducing Bacterial Content from Dental Plaque: A Preliminary Observation

“…Arrays of antimicrobial agents are available in the market, such as chlorhexidine digluconate, which is the golden standard for an antimicrobial agent and others such as Colgate and Oral B. Along with the commercially available agents for reducing bacterial content of dental plaque, several natural herbal extracts, such as pomegranate, algae, triphala, tulsipatra, neem, aloe vera, and cinnamon, have been reported to be effective against dental plaque bacteria [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Similarly, cannabinoids extracted from cannabis has been reported to have potential antimicrobial properties against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial species [10][11][12].…”