In vitro comparison of antibacterial activities of some natural toothpaste

The use of natural toothpaste has an increasing tendency since the adverse effects of some antimicrobial ingredients in traditional toothpaste on human health. However, the effectiveness of these pastes on cariogenic bacteria is not clear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of toothpastes containing different natural active ingredients on different oral pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Enterococcus faecalis. In this study, seven natural toothpastes containing theobromine, aloe vera, miswak extract, propolis, chitosan, enzyme, probiotic and a traditional toothpaste were tested. The agar well diffusion method was used to determine the antibacterial activities of toothpastes. Inhibition zones formed around toothpastes were measured after 24 hours of incubation in the laboratory. The data obtained were analyzed statistically. Traditional toothpaste and theobromine and chitosan containing toothpastes showed antimicrobial efficacy for all tested bacteria. While aloe vera, miswak, and propolis containing toothpastes were only effective on Streptococcus mutans, probiotics and enzymes containing toothpastes did not show any antimicrobial effect on the bacteria. Among toothpastes with natural ingredients, the highest efficacy on Streptococcus mutans was achieved in the theobromine containing toothpaste, and the lowest with aloe vera and propolis containing toothpastes (p<0.05). Toothpaste containing theobromine and chitosan, that showed antimicrobial efficiacy for all microorganisms, can be recommended as an alternative to the traditional toothpastes.