Comparison of the antibacterial effect of aqueous extract of Teucrium polium with the Chlorhexidine mouthwash on Streptococcus mutans

Comparison of the antibacterial effect of aqueous extract of Teucrium polium with the Chlorhexidine mouthwash on Streptococcus mutans
Romina Roshan Del,¹ Arefeh Arazm,² Asma Kheneifar,³ Asal Khaleghi Nasab,⁴ Mahdieh Mehrab Mohseni,^5,*
1. Farzanegan Jounior High School
2. Farzanegan Jounior High School
3. Farzanegan Jounior High School
4. Farzanegan Jounior High School
5. National Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB)
Introduction: The treatment of tooth decay increases the likelihood of allergic reactions and bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Effective compounds of medicinal plants can be effective in preventing oral diseases. Teucrium polium is one of the native plants of Iran that has been found in Khuzestan province and despite its enormous therapeutic applications, it is not well known. The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial effect of Teucrium polium on Streptococcus mutans and compare it with the Chlorhexidine mouthwash.
Methods: In this study, aqueous extraction was acquired by the hot extraction method. The antibacterial effects of the extracts were investigated by two methods of broth microdilution to find the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the aqueous extract and the disk diffusion method on bacteria in comparison with the Chlorhexidine mouthwash.
Results: MIC and MBC for aqueous extract of Teucrium polium were 15.63 and 31.25 mg/ml, respectively. The diameter of Streptococcus mutans non-growth halo in the vicinity of the Chlorhexidine mouthwash disk with the concentration of 0.2 mg/μl was 13 mm and adjacent to the disk of Teucrium polium extract with two concentrations of 20 and 5 mg/μl were 10 and 8 mm, respectively.
Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the aqueous extract of Teucrium polium has effective antibacterial activity on Streptococcus mutans, although the effect of the Chlorhexidine mouthwash is significantly higher than the aqueous extract of this plant. Due to the availability and nativeness of this plant in Iran and the possibility of using it with lower costs and complications than the Chlorhexidine mouthwash, the use of this plant extract in mouthwashes can be very efficient and useful.
Keywords: Prevention of tooth decay, Streptococcus mutans, Medicinal plants, Teucrium polium, Chlorhexidine