title: Comparison of Antimicrobial Activity of Chlorhexidine, Coconut Oil, Probiotics, and Ketoconazole on Candida albicans Isolated in Children with Early Childhood Caries: An In Vitro Study.
abstract: Background. Early childhood caries (ECC) is associated with early colonisation and high levels of cariogenic microorganisms. With C. albicans being one of those, there is a need to determine the effectiveness of various chemotherapeutic agents against it. The study is aimed at isolating Candida species in children with ECC and at studying the antifungal effect of coconut oil, probiotics, Lactobacillus, and 0.2% chlorhexidine on C. albicans in comparison with ketoconazole. Materials and Methods. Samples were collected using sterile cotton swabs, swabbed on the tooth surfaces from children with ECC of 3 to 6 yrs and streaked on Sabouraud dextrose agar (HI Media) plates and incubated in a 5% CO2 enriched atmosphere at 37°C for 24 hours. Candida was isolated and its susceptibility to probiotics, chlorhexidine, ketoconazole, and coconut oil was determined using Disc Diffusion method. Results. The mean zone of inhibition for chlorhexidine was 21.8 mm, whereas for coconut oil it was 16.8 mm, for probiotics it was 13.5 mm, and for ketoconazole it was 22.3 mm. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant (Chi-square value 7.42, P value 0.06). Conclusion. Chlorhexidine and coconut oil have shown significant antifungal activity which is comparable with ketoconazole.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics, Kannur Dental College, Kerala 670612, India.
authors.forename: Beena
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9040-3449
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shino
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics, Kannur Dental College, Kerala 670612, India.
authors.forename: Faizal C
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3821-7809
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Peedikayil
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kannur Medical College, Kerala 670612, India.
authors.forename: Shyamala R
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2831-0441
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Jaiprakash
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kannur Medical College, Kerala 670612, India.
authors.forename: Gufran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ahmed Bijapur
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics, Kannur Dental College, Kerala 670612, India.
authors.forename: Soni
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kottayi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics, Kannur Dental College, Kerala 670612, India.
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jose