The Inhibitory and Antibacterial Effects of Peppermint Essential Oil on Periodontal Photogenes

Although there are methods such as the use of mouthwashes to prevent periodontal diseases, these diseases are still the most common oral diseases. Given the side effects of chemical methods, the present study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory and antibacterial effects of peppermint essential oil on periodontal pathogens.

Antibacterial effect of the peppermint essential oil by the disk diffusion and Microplate dilution techniques was performed on 4 standard bacteria purchased from the microbial bank of Iran, including Enterococcus Faecalis, Streptococcus Sanguinis, Eikenella corrodens, and Actinomyces Viscosus. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of the essential oil were also evaluated. The amount of biofilm formation was obtained by calculating the average biofilm formation in the three wells and comparing it with the optical density of negative control by the Elisa Reader device.

This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences with code: IR.ARAKMU.REC.1397.15.

 Results of diffusion test showed the inhibitory effect of 0.1 g/mL essential oil on Enterococcus Faecalis and Streptococcus Sanguinis. Pure essential oil of peppermint showed the strongest inhibitory effect on streptococcus sanguinis followed by enterococcus faecalis, actinomyces viscosus and eikenella corrodens. 

 The peppermint plant has antibacterial and inhibitory effects on the bacteria of enterococcus faecalis, streptococcus sanguinis, eikenella corrodens, and actinomyces viscosus. Therefore, peppermint as a natural and effective antibacterial agent, has a potential application in the prevention of periodontal disease.