Objectives
This study aims to formulate a new
Origanum vulgare
anti-caries dental gel with high antimicrobial activity.
Methods
O. vulgare
essential oil was extracted using hydro-distillation, ethanol extraction, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and high-performance liquid chromatography methods. Antimicrobial activity of the produced gels with oregano oil and extract was determined through the disco-diffusion method. The effectiveness of
O. vulgare
essential oil was tested
in vitro
for
Streptococcus mutans
biofilm using colorimetric analysis.
Results
O. vulgare
essential oil inhibited the growth of
S. mutans
biofilm by 98% compared with unexposed control bacteria (
p <0.05
). Five samples of anti-caries gel (ACDG1, ACDG2, ACDG3, ACDG4, ACDG5) were formulated using the obtained oregano essential oil and extract. Based on the microbiological study results, the ACDG1 and ACDG3 gel samples exhibited high antimicrobial activity against the gram-positive bacterial strains of
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Bacillus subtilis
and the yeast fungus
Candida albicans
and moderate antimicrobial activity against the gram-negative strains of
Escherichia coli
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
.
Conclusion
Based on the results of this study, the ACDG3 sample may be considered an anti-caries gel owing to its high antimicrobial activity. This sample has good organoleptic properties compared to other samples, produces relatively high antimicrobial activity, and guards against cariogenic biofilms of
S. mutans.