In Vitro Antibacterial Effectiveness of a Naturopathic Oral Care Product on Oral Pathogens

Purpose: Currently, the prevention of periodontal diseases focuses on mechanical removal of pathogenic biofilms combined with oral antiseptics as supportive chemical antibacterial control. Due to the risk of resistance development and side effects of existing antiseptics, the interest in alternative medicine with naturopathic treatment modalities is growing in dentistry. In the present study, the antibacterial effect of the naturopathic oral care product Repha OS and some of its derivatives, based on medicinal plant extracts and essential oils, with a specific focus on added sweeteners, was investigated on periodontal pathogenic and halitosis-associated bacteria. Materials and Methods: The antibacterial efficacy was investigated by agar dilution assay. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the bacterial species Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia and Solobacterium moorei was determined. Results: A concentration-dependent antibacterial effect on oral bacterial species by Repha OS and its derivatives was demonstrated. For the original product, the maximum MIC was 10% of the calculated test solution concentration in agar for all examined bacterial species. The removal of essential oils reduced the antibacterial efficacy, whereas the displacement or replacement of sweeteners had almost no effect. Conclusion: In addition to other individual effects of the ingredients, the results of this study show that an antibacterial effect of the naturopathic oral care product on the tested oral bacterial species was achieved in vitro. In vivo, the combination of this antibacterial effect with other properties of the various ingredients may be interesting for a holistic approach in preventive dentistry. Keywords: essential oils, medicinal plant extracts, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), naturopathic oral care product, periodontal pathogenic or halitosis-associated bacteria