Antibacterial effects of Persica and Matrica herbal mouthwashes on common oral microorganisms: An in vitro study

Herbal mouthwashes have been used to improve oral hygiene through antibacterial activity and dental plaque control. The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the antibacterial effects of Persica and Matrica herbal mouthwashes with Chlorhexidine 0.2% (CHX). The disc diffusion method was used to measure inhibition zone of tested mouthwashes on Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sobrinus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Eikenella corrodens. The paper discs containing mouthwashes were placed on media cultured with bacteria. Blank discs containing distilled water were used as controls. Three samples of each mouthwash were cultured, three times each. In total, including control discs, 240 cultures were performed. After 18 hours of incubation, inhibition zones were measured in millimeter and compared with one another. Data were processed and analyzed using SPSS-16 soft ware and Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U-tests. The CHX 0.2% mouthwash significantly exhibited greater inhibition zone than the Persica and Matrica mouthwashes. Persica could not inhibit bacterial growth, except for Klebsiella pneumonia. Also, there were not any significant differences among three samples of mouthwashes and three cultures of each mouthwash. Based on the results of this study, herbal mouthwashes are less potent than the CHX in inhibiting the growth of tested bacteria. Further in vivo/in vitro studies are needed to substantiate present findings.