Formulation of Mouthwash Using Combined Herbal Extracts to Control the Predominant Oral Pathogens and Biofilm

Introduction

Globally, oral disease is a major health problem, which affects the quality of life. The role of oral microflora in the oral diseases is well established. However, with the increase in the frequency of oral disease, the development of antimicrobial drug resistance to the existing drugs has insisted on searching for alternative drugs from plant sources. Herein, herbal-based mouthwash is formulated to effectively control the dominant oral pathogens.

Methods

The antimicrobial activity of plant extracts was evaluated against oral pathogens by zone of inhibition test. Mouthwash was formulated with one gram of each plant extracts (Rosa damascena flower petals, Coleus amboinicus leaves, Psidium guajava leaves, and Phyllanthus acidus fruits) in 10% ethanol. Antimicrobial efficacy of the formulated mouthwash was assessed against Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans by standard protocol. Also, the antibiofilm effect of the formulated mouthwash was assessed against preformed S mutans biofilm and visualised using SEM and CLSM.

Results

The formulated mouthwash exhibits excellent broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. The minimum inhibitory concentration result indicates that the susceptibility of the pathogens was found as follows: S aureus < S mutans < C albicans < E faecalis < E coli. Also, it shows a great anti-inflammatory effect. SEM and CLSM images reveal that the formulated mouthwash has the potential to inhibit the oral biofilm of S. mutants.

Conclusions

This study concludes that the formulated herbal-based mouthwash might be useful in controlling multiple oral pathogens and biofilms.