Abstract:
Aim: Oral environment hosts many microorganisms and even symbiotic microorganisms can cause diseases under appropriate conditions and antimicrobial therapy might be required. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of various antioxidants on Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Candida albicans, and Streptococcus mutans as pathogenic microorganisms of the oral environment.Material and Methods: In present research, the antibacterial effects of various antioxidants on oral bacteria, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A.actinomycetemcomitans, ATCC 33384), Streptococcus mutans (S.mutans, ATCC 35668), and fungus Candida albicans (C.albicans, ATCC 90819) were tested. The tested antioxidants were curcumin, gallic acid, and vanillic acid. The concentrations of the antioxidants were adjusted to 5% and appropriate solvents were used for the agents. The solvents were distilled water for gallic acid, ethanol for vanillic acid and dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) for curcumin. Antibiotics ciprofloxacin, penicillin, tetracycline, and chlorhexidine were used as positive control agents. The antibacterial effect of the antioxidants were tested with disc-diffusion method.Results: Positive control agents provided significant antibacterial efficacy compared to the test agents and negative controls. The most significant effect was observed on ciprofloxacin against all tested microorganisms. On the other hand, penicillin provided similar effects with the chlorhexidine and tetracycline. All antioxidants tested in the present study was found ineffective against all tested microorganisms. Topical use of antioxidants did not provide efficacy. Conclusion: Antioxidants have significant effects on preventing oxidative stress and decreasing inflammation-driven pathologies. However, the tested antioxidants did not provide an antibacterial effect against A.actinomycetemcomitans, S.mutans, and C.albicans.
