A comparison of the antifungal activity of herbal toothpastes against other brands of toothpastes on clinical isolates of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the anti-Candida activity on Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis species of 2 herbal and 7 other brands of toothpastes commonly used in Kuwait.


METHODS
Antifungal activity was determined by agar diffusion test on 65 isolates of C. albicans and 21 isolates of C. dubliniensis for each toothpaste. A uniform quantity of toothpaste was filled into wells punched into Sabouraud dextrose agar medium plates inoculated with the test isolates, incubated at 37°C; inhibition zone diameters were read after 24 h.


RESULTS
The mean inhibition zone diameters ranged between 12 and 23 mm for C. albicans and between 12 and 27 mm for C. dubliniensis. A herbal toothpaste brand manufactured in the Middle Eastern region (United Arab Emirates) consisting of many herbal ingredients compared to other brands was found to be the most active (p < 0.001) against both Candida species tested, which also demonstrated higher inhibitory activity against C. dubliniensis isolates compared to C. albicans.


CONCLUSIONS
The herbal toothpaste brand presented significant anticandidal activity over conventional toothpastes and may be useful in reducing the pathogenic potential of Candida species.
Kuwait University, Jabriya, Kuwait. arjuna @ hsc.edu.kw
Arjuna N B
AN
Ellepola
Zia U
ZU
Khan
Rachel
R
Chandy
Leeba
L
Philip
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D014100:Toothpastes / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014100:Toothpastes