Effect of Sugar-Free Chewing Gum Containing Tulsi Extract on Salivary Streptococcus Mutans in a Group of Children

Authors

1 Dentist at the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population

2 Associate professor of pedodontics and Oral Health, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

3 Lecturer of Pedodontics and Oral Health at Faculty of Dental Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

4 Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of Tulsi extract incorporated into chewing gum on salivary streptococcus mutans count in a group of children. Subjects and methods: A sample of 33 systemically healthy children with age ranged from 4 to 11 years old without any removable prosthetics or orthodontic appliances, and without any recent history of antibiotic use in previous 2 weeks were selected. Participants were instructed to masticate gum containing tulsi extract for a duration of 5 minutes and subsequently discard the gum. Two salivary samples were collected from each participant: one before beginning the 5‑minute gum chewing session, and another 30 minutes after the conclusion of gum chewing. All samples were streaked onto mitis salivarius agar plates and incubated at 37°C for 24 h., then Streptococcus mutans colonies were counted. Results: The analysis revealed a significant decrease in the mean number of Streptococcus mutans colonies in the salivary samples collected 30 minutes after the cessation of gum chewing (Mean ± SD 8655.69 ± 4306.52 x 104 for the initial sample; Mean ± SD 0.91 ± 0.47 x 104 for unstimulated saliva after 30 minutes; p = 0.000). Conclusion: This study demonstrated the potential of Tulsi chewing gum in reducing salivary Streptococcus mutans count in children.

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