Stevia and Peppermint Herbal Formulation Based Mouthwash and Its Efficacy in Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activities

Background: Dental caries is a condition induced by the microbial fermentation of dietary carbohydrates in the biofilm that is connected to the teeth, which results in the disintegration of local chemical surfaces of the teeth. The predominant microbial pathogen in the aetiology of caries is Streptococcus mutans. Caries can be avoided by brushing and flossing regularly, as well as using antimicrobial mouthwash.

Aim: The aim of the study is to prepare the Stevia and Peppermint formulation mouthwash and evaluate the antimicrobial property and cytotoxic effect of the formulated mouthwash at varying concentrations.

Materials and Methods: A herbal mouthwash consisting of Stevia and Peppermint as the chief ingredients was prepared in the laboratory and its antimicrobial activity of various concentrations (25 µL, 50 µL,100 µL) against S. mutans, S. aureus, E. faecalis, C. albicans were tested by the agar well diffusion method. The cytotoxic activity of the prepared herbal mouthwash was checked using lethality of the nauplii which hatched from brine shrimp eggs, which was inoculated for over 24 hours. The results obtained were statistically analysed using IBM SPSS software and the results interpreted in graphs and tables.

Results: The antimicrobial activity of prepared mouthwash against different microorganisms at 25 µL was significantly lesser than the standard but there was a concentration dependent increase in the antimicrobial property. The cytotoxic effect of formulated mouthwash was found to be within limits at all concentrations. At low concentration the cytotoxic effect was found to be negligible and the cytotoxic effect also had a concentration dependent increase.

Conclusion: The formulated Stevia and Peppermint mouthwash was ound to have effective antimicrobial properties and negligible cytotoxic effect. The antimicrobial property against different microorganisms at 25 µL is significantly less than the standard but the antimicrobial property increases as the concentration increases