title: Comparison of the antimicrobial efficacy of chlorhexidine, sodium fluoride, fluoride with essential oils, alum, green tea, and garlic with lime mouth rinses on cariogenic microbes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A number of natural mouth rinse formulations are being proposed as an alternative to the widely used chemical mouth rinses.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate and compare the antimicrobial efficacy of chlorhexidine (0.2%), sodium fluoride (0.05%), fluoride with essential oils (0.05%), alum (0.02 M), green tea, and garlic with lime mouth rinses against Streptococcus mutans, lactobacilli, and Candida albicans.
  
  
  METHODS
  The three microbes were isolated from the saliva samples collected from children with severe early childhood caries. The zone of minimum inhibition was assessed using agar diffusion method. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Against S. mutans and lactobacilli, chlorhexidine mouth rinse was found to be the most effective as compared to sodium fluoride (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), fluoride with essential oils (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), alum (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), green tea (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), and garlic with lime (P < 0.001, P < 0.001) mouth rinses, respectively. But against C. albicans, garlic with lime mouth rinse was found to be the most effective as compared to chlorhexidine (P < 0.001), sodium fluoride (P < 0.001), fluoride with essential oils (P < 0.001), alum (P < 0.001), and green tea (P < 0.001) mouth rinses. Against S. mutans and lactobacilli, after chlorhexidine mouth rinse, garlic with lime mouth rinse was found to be significantly more effective than sodium fluoride (P = 0.053, P = 0.001), fluoride with essential oils (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), alum (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), and green tea (P < 0.001, P < 0.001) mouth rinses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As a natural mouth rinse, garlic with lime mouth rinse was found to be the most promising. However, further studies are needed in this field.
authors: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, AJ Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors: Ann
authors: A
authors: Thomas
authors: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, AJ Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors: Sneha
authors: S
authors: Thakur
authors: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, AJ Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors: Sanjana
authors: S
authors: Mhambrey
keywords: Candida albicans; Streptococcus mutans; caries prevention; herbal mouth wash; home oral hygiene; lactobacilli; severe early childhood caries