Antibacterial Effect of Mouth Rinsing with a Solution Containing 1.6% Syzygium aromaticum Extract against Streptococcus mutans: An In vivo Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background and Objective: Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) extract has antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. The objective was to assess and compare the salivary Streptococcus mutans counts on Mitis Salivarius Bacterium agar plates after 1 h of mouth rinsing with 30 mL solutions containing S. aromaticum and 0.2% chlorhexidine among 18–30-year-old adults in a clinical setting. Methodology: Sixteen participants fulfilling the eligibility criteria were randomized into two groups. Group A: rinsed with 0.16% S. aromaticum extract mouth rinse and Group B: rinsed with 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash. Saliva samples of the participants were collected before and 1 h after mouth rinsing with 30 mL of interventional mouth rinse, for S. mutans count analysis. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA) was used for statistical analysis. The significance level was fixed at P < 0.05. Intra and Intergroup comparison of microbial counts was done using the Wilcoxon signed–rank test and Mann–Whitney U-test, respectively. Results: The results of the study showed that there was a significant reduction in salivary S. mutans counts in both the groups postmouth rinsing with interventional solutions (P < 0.05). However, the intergroup comparison revealed that, in the chlorhexidine group, there was significantly more reduction in salivary S. mutans counts compared to S. aromaticum mouth rinsing group (P = 0.02). Conclusion: There was a reduction in salivary S. mutans counts after mouth rinsing with a solution containing S. aromaticum. Hence, clove mouth rinse could be an effective aid for the prevention and control of dental caries since it is safe and culturally acceptable.