Effectiveness of Mentha piperita Leaf Extracts against Oral Pathogens: An in vitro Study.

AIM: The study aims to assess the Mentha piperita leaf extract's effectiveness against oral pathogens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The leaf extract of M. piperita was prepared using cold water method. The three microbial strains, i.e., Streptococcus mutans, Aggregatibacter actinomycetem-comitans, and Candida albicans were used as microbiological materials. Chlorhexidine 0.2% was used as positive control. The digital caliper was used to measure the zone of inhibition to know the antimicrobial activity at 24 and 48 hours. To compare the activity within and between the different microbial strains, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. To analyze the data, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version of 21.0 was used. The p-value ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Maximum inhibition zone was seen in both M. piperita extracts and 0.2% chlorhexidine with S. mutans at 24 and 48 hours, followed by A. actinomycetemcomitans, and C. albi-cans respectively. The statistical analysis ANOVA reveals the statistically significant association of M. piperita extracts with p-value <0.001. The comparison with 0.2% chlorhexidine at 24 hours showed a p-value of <0.04 and at 48 hours, it showed a p-value <0.001, which was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that M. piperita showed antimicrobial activity against the oral microorganisms which are causing major less or more severe oral diseases and it can be administered as an alternative medicine for the conventional treatment. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The study results serve as a guide in selecting and providing information about the efficacy of M. piperita extracts to the dental professionals. The discovery of a potential herbal medication would be a great development in the field of antimicrobial therapies.

Malondialdehyde as a Marker of Oxidative Stress in Periodontitis Patients.

BACKGROUND: Periodontology is a fast-evolving field with newer insights into traditional periodontal diagnosis. Advances in periodontal disease diagnostic research are moving toward methods whereby periodontal risk can be identified and quantified by objective measures such as biomarkers. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in whole saliva of patients with chronic periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Whole saliva samples were collected from 85 patients: 30 patients with chronic periodontitis, 25 with gingivitis, and 30 periodontally healthy controls. To determine the clinical condition of each subject, the gingival index and clinical attachment level were measured. The salivary MDA levels were determined spectrophotometrically. RESULTS: Higher salivary MDA levels (P < 0.005) were detected in patients with periodontitis compared to the healthy controls. There was no statistically significant difference in the salivary MDA levels between patients with gingivitis and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Higher salivary MDA levels seem to reflect increased oxygen radical activity during periodontal inflammation. Thus, MDA can be used as a marker of oxidative stress in patients with periodontitis.