Effect of commercial herbal toothpastes and mouth rinses on the prevention of enamel demineralization using a microcosm biofilm model

Abstract

This work evaluated the effects of commercial toothpastes and mouth rinses containing natural/herbal agents on biofilm viability, extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) production and on enamel demineralization in vitro. Microcosm biofilm was produced on bovine enamel for 5 days and treated daily with: Orgânico natural^® (toothpaste/mouth rinse), Boni Natural Menta & Malaleuca^® (toothpaste/mouth rinse), Propolis & Myrrh^® (toothpaste), Colgate Total 12 Clean Mint^® (toothpaste, positive control), Malvatricin^® Plus (mouth rinse), PerioGard^® (mouth rinse, positive control) or PBS (negative control). Tom’s Propolis & Myrrh^® and Colgate Total 12^® toothpastes and Malvatricin^® Plus and PerioGard^® mouth rinses significantly reduced biofilm viability (p < 0.05). Only PerioGard^® had significant effects on biofilm thickness and EPS. Despite the indication that Tom’s Propolis & Myrrh^® significantly reduced lesion depth, only Colgate Total 12^® significantly reduced mineral loss. Malvatricin^® Plus significantly reduced mineral loss and lesion depth, as did PerioGard^®. Some herbal products, Malvatricin^® Plus and Tom’s Propolis & Myrrh^®, showed anticaries effects.

Keywords:

• Natural agents
• microcosm biofilm
• dental caries
• enamel
• mouthwash
• toothpaste

Additional information

Funding

The authors thank CAPES and Fundação de Amparo do Estado de São Paulo for a grant to the last author (FAPESP 2017/00556-0) and for scholarships (FAPESP Letícia Dragonetti Girotti 2017/23013-1, to Leticia Lobo de Melo Simas 2017/23165-6 and Aline Silva Braga 2017/17249-2). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or in the preparation of the manuscript.