Antimicrobial efficacy of two commercially available toothpastes on salivary Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus, and Candida: A randomized controlled trial

Aim: To assess and compare the antimicrobial efficacy of two commercially available tubes of toothpaste on salivary Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus, and Candida. Setting and Design: A total of 30 school children at the age of 4-6 years with decayed, missing, and filled teeth ≤2, subjected to similar dietary restrictions were randomly divided into two Groups A and B. Children in Group A were provided with Pediflor toothpaste and in Group B with Kidodent toothpaste. Saliva was collected for all the children and the baseline salivary count for Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, and Candida were recorded. The brushing technique was demonstrated and the students were asked to brush twice daily. Salivary bacterial counts were again assessed after 30 days and 60 days respectively. Statistical Analysis: The results were statistically analyzed using Friedmans test and Mann-Whitney U-test. Results and Conclusion: The baseline means salivary S. mutans count significantly reduced from 58.4 to 12.67 in Group A and from 58.73 to 13.8 in Group B in 60 days (P = 0.001). Similarly, Lactobacillus count reduced from 25.07 to 6.0 in Group A and from 26.60 to 6.13 in Group B in 60 days (P = 0.001). Candida count was too less to be subjected to statistical analysis. Both Pediflor and Kidodent toothpaste showed a marked reduction of S. mutans and Lactobacillus at 30 and 60 days intervals. But there was no statistically significant difference between the two pastes.