The comparison of antimicrobial effects of herbal and chemical agents on toothpaste: An experimental study

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, health-care companies use different antimicrobial agents in toothpastes to reduce oral microorganisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of one Iranian herbal toothpaste in different concentrations compared with the chemical type on oral microorganisms in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, the antimicrobial effect of one Iranian herbal toothpaste in comparison with its chemical type at three concentrations of 1, 1:1, and 1:3 on Streptococcus mutans (SM), Lactobacillus (LB), and Candida albicans (CA), respectively, were studied by agar disc diffusion method. The microorganisms were cultured on 21 plates. Then, four sterile paper discs were placed on each plate and the extracts were placed on them in prepared concentrations and incubated at 37°C ± 0°C for 24 h. The diameter of the inhibition zone around the discs was then measured in millimeters and recorded two-way ANOVA, one-way ANOVA tests, and regarding the difference variances, Tamhane supplementary tests were used at the significance level of P < 0.05. RESULTS: According to the results of this study, the full concentration of Iranian herbal toothpaste on SM, LB, and CA microorganisms had higher antimicrobial effect than the other two concentrations. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Furthermore, all the three toothpastes at full concentration had the same antimicrobial activity (P < 0.05). The antimicrobial effect of herbal toothpaste decreased significantly compared with the chemical toothpaste while the concentration decreased (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: At full concentration, herbal and chemical toothpastes have the same antimicrobial effect, but by reducing the concentration, the antimicrobial effect of herbal toothpaste is reduced compared with the chemical one.