Antimicrobial Efficacy of Chlorhexidine and Licorice Mouthwashes in Children

Objective: The aim of this in vivo study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a simple herbal caries-prevention protocol for reducing salivary Streptococcus mutans levels in children. Materials and Methods: A total of 90 individuals were recruited randomly divided into three groups (n=30). Mouthwashes including chlorhexidine CHX), licorice and saline were used as tested antimicrobial agents, and saliva samples were collected before rinsing, at the end of 5 min T1) and 60 min T2) following rinsing, and the differences were calculated within 5-60 min T3). Plaques were evaluated following incubation, and counts of the growing colonies were performed in colony forming units CFU)/mL. Decreases in CFU were calculated in ratio for statistical analysis. Data were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, Friedman and Wilcoxon signed rank tests by Bonferroni correction, using a 0.05 of significance level. Results: CHX caused significantly different decreases for T1 and T2 p<0.05), but, there were no significant differences between CHX and licorice for T3 p>0.05). Conclusion: Licorice might be a useful agent for dental procedures and further studies are needed to learn more about the dose of licorice, the ratio of glycyrrhizin and the duration of dental therapy.