Comparative Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of Commercially Available Pediatric Dentifrices: An In Vitro Study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of commercially available pediatric dentifrices containing different compositions against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus activity.

Materials and methods: Four different commercially available brands of pediatric dentifrices, designated as sample I-fluoride, sample II-herbal, sample III-xylitol with nanosilver particles, and sample IV-xylitol with fluoride, along with two control groups (a positive control-ciprofloxacin and a negative control-distilled water), were tested for their antibacterial activity by measuring the zone of inhibition, followed by MIC against two dental bacterial pathogens, S. mutans strain and Lactobacillus acidophilus (LB) strain, at five different twofold dilutions of 100, 50, 25%, 12.5, and 6.25% concentrations.

Result: All four dentifrices were found to have wide variations in their effectiveness against the two tested microorganisms at 100% (pure) and 50% concentrations, with sample I having the highest activity, followed by sample IV and sample II. At 25% concentration, only sample I and sample IV showed antibacterial activity, while at 12.5 and 6.25% concentrations, none of the tested toothpastes exhibited any antibacterial activity. Sample III failed to show antibacterial activity even in pure form against the two microorganisms.

Conclusion: In our present study, the fluoride-containing pediatric dentifrice with a lower fluoride concentration (458 ppm) exhibited the highest zone of inhibition, followed by the xylitol with fluoride dentifrice and the herbal dentifrice. No zone of inhibition was observed in the nanosilver with xylitol dentifrice.

How to cite this article: Dureha R, Navit S, Khan SA, et al. Comparative Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of Commercially Available Pediatric Dentifrices: An In Vitro Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(8):938-944.