An in vivo evaluation of antimicrobial effects of Persica herbal mouthwash on Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis

Document Type : Original Article(s)

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Oral and Dental Disease Research Center AND Kerman Social Determinants on Oral Health Research Center AND Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

2 PhD Student, Oral and Dental Disease Research Center AND Kerman Social Determinants on Oral Health Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Pharmacy, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4 Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Diseases, School of Dentistry, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Due to their antimicrobial and dental plaque control activity, mouthwashes lead to an improvement in oral health. Although chemical mouthwashes have demonstrated the greatest antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, their usage has been limited because of their numerous side effects. This study was conducted in vivo to determine the antibacterial and antifungal effects of Persica herbal mouthwash containing Salvadore persica, mint, and yarrow in comparison with a placebo. METHODS: In this experimental, single-blind study, 80 dentistry students, who were eager to participate in the study, were randomly allocated into two groups of forty. One group was given Persica while the other group received a placebo. They were asked to apply the mouthwash twice a day for four weeks. The participants were unaware of the mouthwash type. Saliva sampling was conducted in all cases before and after mouthwash application and the samples were dispatched to a laboratory for microbial culture (Sabouraud and Clark-Kenner media culture). After two weeks, the washout times in groups were swapped with each other and the sampling was conducted just like before. Finally, the data were analyzed using independent and paired t-test. P values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 23.20 ± 4.14. Persica mouthwash significantly decreased the count of Candida albicans (1.43 ± 0.15 to 0.8 ± 0.35) (P < 0.001) and Enterococcus faecalis (0.93 ± 1.76 to 0.71 ± 2.10) (P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: The statistical tests revealed that applying Persica mouthwash would result in a significant decrease in the Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis count. Regarding the significant and desirable effect of Persica on Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis, and its herbal origin, its application could be suggested to reduce oral microbes and infections from fungi and enterococci.

Keywords