Evaluation of the efficacy of formulated Moringa herbal mouthwashes on prevention of mouth infections

Mouth infections are a serious health problem that affect millions of people each year. Among the infections, dental caries, tooth decay, halitosis and plaque are the most common. Mouthwashes are solutions used to rinse mouth to remove or destroy bacteria, act as an astringent, deodorize and have a therapeutic effect by relieving infection or preventing dental caries and reducing or eliminating plaque accumulation. This study was carried out to test the effectiveness of herbal mouthwash formulated from Moringa oleifera leaf extract combined with other plant extracts against oral microflora that are capable of causing oral infections. Twenty volunteer female students aged 18 – 23 years were selected and given the herbal mouthwashes containing 0.5% and 2.0% tannin to gargle after which, microscopic and biochemical tests were carried out on the samples. The effect of different tannin concentrations of herbal mouthwash on oral microflora were compared. Also compared were formulated herbal mouthwashes containing 10% ethanol, an alcohol free herbal mouthwash, and a 0.2% chlorhexidine commercial mouthwash. Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus were oral microflora isolated. The microflora population was considerably inhibited (23.2% reduction) in the herbal mouthwash sample containing higher concentration of tannin (P< 0.05). There were no significant differences between the formulated herbal mouthwashes containing 10% alcohol and alcohol free, as well as the 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash (P> 0.05). The formulated herbal mouthwash could reduce the aerobic mouth microbial load and may prevent mouth infections.