The efficiency of natural wound healing and bacterial biofilm inhibition of Aloe vera and Sodium Chloride toothpaste preparation

BACKGROUND: Prevention is a preliminary focus of periodontitis treatment. Rather than giving complicated treatment to a periodontitis patient, a variety of toothpastes have been suggested to prevent periodontal disease progression. Herbal toothpastes containing natural plant components for maintaining or increasing healing might be a treatment modality for improving oral hygiene. Aloe vera is a medicinal plant with active ingredients that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Additionally, increased sodium in the environment inhibits microorganism growth. A toothpaste containing salt and aloe vera may be an option to provide good oral hygiene. AIM: To assess the in vitro cell migration of human gingival fibroblasts and antimicrobial effects of an herbal toothpaste containing A. vera and Sodium chloride. METHODS: The cytotoxicity of 0.02% or 0.2% toothpaste solution on human gingival fibroblast cell line was evaluated using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The cell migration after treatment with 0.2% (v/v) toothpaste was determined using a Boyden Chamber assay. The effect of the toothpaste on inhibiting Porphylomonas gingivalis planktonic and biofilm growth was compared with Chlohexidine (CHX) using a Disk Diffusion and Biofilm susceptibility test, respectively. The results of the cytotoxicity assay, inhibition zone and percentage of live cells in the biofilm were statistically analyzed with One-way analysis of variance. Cell migration and biofilm inhibition were evaluated using the independent sample t-test and multiple t-test, respectively (p = 0.05). RESULTS: Neither test concentration of the toothpaste solution was toxic to the target cells. The 0.2% concentration was selected for the cell migration experiment. The herbal toothpaste formulation significantly increased cell migration compared with the control group (culture medium) (p = .02) The antimicrobial effect of this formulation on the P. gingivalis planktonic form was lower compared with 0.12% CHX (positive control group), however, it demonstrated greater P. gingivalis biofilm formation inhibition compared with the 0.12% CHX group. CONCLUSIONS: The alternative use of an herbal toothpaste instead of a non-herbal toothpaste formulation should be considered for promoting oral health care. However, further clinical studies are necessary before it can be considered for patient use.