Effect of Sanguinaria canadensis Tincture Associated to a Chewing Gum on the Bacterial Biofilm

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Sanguinaria canadensis tincture associated to a chewing gum regarding to dental plaque score (O'Leary) and Streptococcus CUFs. Forty eight students of the University Jose do Rosario Vellano - Brazil took part in this double blind, placebo control study, with ages ranging from 18 to 25 years old, patterned into three groups: placebo group; Sanguinaria canadensis 2.1 mg/day, and Sanguinaria canadensis 4.2 mg/day. Chewing gums were used three times a day for ten days. During the first phase of the study, the chewing gum action was evaluated on dental plaque already installed and in the second phase its action was analyzed on the forming plaque. The results showed statistically significant differences among group I in the first and second phases of the study (p < 0.05 Anova One Way - Tukey Test, t student). The results related to the number of Streptococcus sp. showed statistically sig- nificant differences among groups I, II and III, with 0, 5, 15 and 30 minutes after using the chewing gums (p < 0.01 t Stu- dent test), These values suggest that Sanguinaria canadensis associated to a chewing gum decreased significantly dental plaque scores and number of Streptococcus sp. when compared to placebo chewing gums.