EFFICACY OF POMEGRANATE MOUTHWASH AS AN ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT

Background: Periodontitis and dental caries are the most common oral diseases. With the recent uproar in herbal medicine, pomegranate mouthwash has been used at an attempt against the same. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of pomegranate mouthwash as an antimicrobial agent.

Material and Methods: The mouthwash was prepared as per a previous study using the seeds of pomegranate. This double blinded study was conducted on a total of 20 participants of both genders who reported to Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai for oral prophylaxis. The patients were divided into two groups, group 1 was provided with pomegranate mouthwash and group 2 with 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash. Once the participants were recruited as part of the study, oral prophylaxis was administered. After which unstimulated saliva samples were collected and the same was cultured in nutrient agar for entire bacterial colony count. After two weeks the same was repeated.

Results: Within the limits of the present study, it was observed that there was a decrease in the total colony count while using the pomegranate mouthwash from 150.54 colony forming units (CFU) to 48.99 CFU when compared to chlorhexidine mouthwash from 152.06 CFU to 57.7 CFU. The reduction in colony count was more in group 1 as compared to group 2.

Conclusion: The present study suggested that pomegranate mouthwash showed better antimicrobial activity than chlorhexidine mouthwash. The potential use of pomegranate as a convenient alternative to antimicrobial products, should be considered after long-term clinical studies.