Effect of hydroalcoholic extract of whole pomegranate fruit on cariogenic bacteria and its clinical effect on dental plaque formation in 8–10‑year‑old children

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to assess the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of the whole
pomegranate fruit on Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus)
and its clinical effect on dental plaque formation in 8–10‑year‑old children.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in two phases of in vitro and clinical trial. In the
in vitro phase, the antibacterial effect of 50%–50% hydroalcoholic extract of whole pomegranate fruit
on S. mutans and L. acidophilus was assessed by the disc diffusion test. In the double‑blind cross‑over
clinical trial phase, 14 children between 8 and 10 years were randomly assigned to two groups of
38% pomegranate mouthwash and 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) after assessing their baseline dental
plaque by oral hygiene index‑simplified (OHI‑S). The children were asked not to use any other
plaque control measure during the study. Their OHI‑S score was measured again after 5 and 14 days
using disclosing tablets. Data were analyzed by t‑test and paired t‑test at 0.05 level of significance.
Results: The hydroalcoholic extract of pomegranate showed a positive antibacterial effect on
S. mutans and L. acidophilus. However, its inhibitory effect was significantly lower than that of 0.12%
CHX (P < 0.05). None of the tested mouthwashes inhibited plaque formation, but pomegranate
mouthwash and CHX decreased the OHI‑S score by 34% and 36%, respectively (P < 0.05), with
no significant difference between them (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: The whole pomegranate fruit hydroalcoholic extract showed significant inhibitory
effects on S. mutans and L. acidophilus. Furthermore, 38% pomegranate mouthwash had a comparable
efficacy to CHX in the reduction of dental plaque.
Key Words: Dental plaque, lactobacillus, plant extracts, pomegranate, Streptococcus mutans

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Sara Tavassoli‑Hojjati: Pubmed,Google Scholar