Antimicrobial activity of different types of mouthwashes against Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans (In vitro study)

Abstract

Background: Recently increasing number of people are using mouthwashes for general and oral care while theprimary appeal of a mouthwash is an aid to breath freshness and cleansing the mouth, the majority of mouthwashesalso claim to have antiseptic properties. The aim of this study is to determine the antimicrobial effectiveness of eighttypes of mouthwashes against Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans in vitro.Materials and methods: Agar diffusion technique was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of eight types ofmouthwashes against Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans isolated from the oralcavities of patients attending dental clinics at college of dentistry - Baghdad University.Results: Al-Mansour mouthwash emerged as the most effective mouthwash giving the maximum mean diameter ofinhibition zones against Staphylococcus aureus (26 mm), Candida albicans (25 mm) and Streptococcus mutans (20mm) followed by corsodyl mouthwash, emoform mouthwash and zac mouthwash all of them had excellent levels ofantimicrobial activity also Breath, close up, sensodyne and aquafresh had good antimicrobial activityConclusion: All the mouthwashes used revealed antimicrobial activity against the three microorganisms used evenwhen these mouthwashes were diluted but the concentrated mouthwash had the strongest antimicrobial activity.Al-Mansour mouthwash an Iraqi mouthwash was the best one according to the results of this study.