Antibacterial Effects of Mouthwashes on Dental Biofilm Bacteria

Objective: The objective of this research was to compare the antibacterial effects of Gengigel (0.025% Hyaluronic acid based), Oradex (0.12% chlorhexidine) and Salviathymol N (1% essential oils based) mouthwashes on certain dental plaque bacteria to assess the morphological changes by using Scanning Electron Microscope, and to evaluate the antibacterial effects on pooled sample of dental plaque.Mateials and Methods: Experimental microorganisms included Fusobacterium nucleatum, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus constellatus, Eikenella corrodens and dental plaque cultured aerobically and anaerobically. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were used as internal controls. Screening of antibacterial activity was done by disk diffusion test. Minimum inhibitory concentration test and assessment of bacterial morphology was carried out using Scanning Electron Microscopy. Results: showed that Oradex had a higher antibacterial effect, followed by Salviathymol N; gengigel mouthwash seems to have weak antibacterial effects against tested microorganisms and dental plaque pooled samples .SEM observations demonstrated that chlorhexidine exhibited obvious changes; Salviathymol N showed some changes while Gengigel exhibited mild changes on the bacterial morphology of the tested microorganisms.Conclusion: Oradex exhibited the strongest antibacterial effect, while Salviathymol N and Gengigel demonstrated moderate and weak antibacterial effects respectively .