The Comparison of Antimicrobial Effect of New Herbal with Standard Toothpaste with Their Influence on Gingival Health Indexes: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis are considered the most common oral and dental health problems in different parts of the world. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity, plaque index, and gingival index determination of herbal toothpaste compared with standard toothpaste. Methods: The present study is a randomized clinical trial of 60 participants of 18 - 28 years and a minimum of 24 healthy teeth at Birjand Dental School that were randomly divided into two groups, herbal and standard toothpaste (n = 30 each group); only participants were blind. All subjects brushed their teeth for 3 minutes 2 times a day for seven months. The plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) for each participant also, saliva samples were taken from the subjects for Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus spp., colony count at the onset of the study, and 3, 5, and 7 months after toothpaste usage. Results: This study was conducted on 60 patients in two study groups. No significant statistical difference was observed between age and gender in the two studied groups. No significant statistical difference was observed between age and gender in the two studied groups. Our study showed that the mean number of S. mutans in the two groups was not significantly different (P > 0.05), but the mean number of Lactobacillus spp. in the group of herbal toothpaste at three months (P = 0.02) and seven months (P = 0.002) was significantly less than standard toothpaste. Also, the mean PI and the GI indices in the herbal toothpaste group after use for five months (P = 0.02) (P = 0.03) and seven months (P < 0.001) (P = 0.03), respectively, were significantly lower than standard toothpaste. Conclusions: Throughout the 7-month trial, herbal toothpaste showed higher antimicrobial activity against Lactobacillus spp. than standard toothpaste, effectively reducing dental plaque and gingivitis. Furthermore, no undesirable reactions to toothpaste were reported during the trial. Therefore, it was concluded that possibly novel herbal toothpaste could be an alternative for controlling dental plaque and gingivitis. Further studies are needed.