The efficacy of three formulations of Lippia sidoides Cham. essential oilin the reduction of salivary Streptococcus mutans in children withcaries : a randomized, double-blind, controlled study

Abstract

Essential oils of many plants have been previously tested in the treatment of oral diseases and otherinfections. This study was a randomized, double-blind, in parallel with an active control study, whichaimed to evaluate the efficacy of three formulations of the Lippia sidoides Cham. essential oil (LSO) in thereduction of salivary Streptococcus mutans in children with caries. 81 volunteers, aged 6–12 years, bothgenders, with caries, were recruited to participate in this study, and randomly assigned to either one offive different groups. Each group received topical treatment with either 1.4% LSO toothpaste, 1.4% LSOgel, 0.8% LSO mouthwash, 1% chlorhexidine gel, or 0.12% chlorhexidine mouthwash. A 5-ml volume ofeach gel was placed inside disposable trays, and applied for 1 min, every 24 h, for 5 consecutive days.The mouthwash groups used 5-ml volume of a mouthwash inside disposable syringes. In the toothpastegroup, children brushed their teeth for 1 min, once a day for 5 days. Saliva was collected before andafter treatment. MS colonies were counted, isolated and confirmed through biochemical tests. Differ-ences in MS levels measured in different days within the same treatment group was only verified withLSO toothpaste, chlorhexidine gel and chlorhexidine mouthwash. Comparison between groups of LSOmouthwash, toothpaste and gel showed that the toothpaste group expressed significantly lower MS lev-els than the mouthwash and gel groups at day-30. Chlorhexidine significantly reduced MS levels after5 days of treatment, but these levels returned to baseline in other periods of the study. LSO toothpastereduced MS levels after 5 days of treatment, and MS levels remained low and did not return to baselineduring subsequent analysis. Hence, LSO toothpaste demonstrated the most long-lasting MS reduction insaliva, whereas other LSO formulations did not effectively reduce MS levels in children with dental caries.