A laboratory evaluation of the efficacy of a herbal dentifrice on dental caries in the rat

Abstract

The efficacy of a topically applied herbal dentifrice (toothpaste) Dabur (R) was evaluated in thirty albino rats. Dental caries was induced by inoculating their mouths with Streptococcus viridans and then fed a cariogenic 56% sucrose sugar in addition to rat pellets. The animals were then divided into 3 equal groups with 10 rats per group. Group 1, the (control) had daily molar teeth brushing with water, while Group
II Dabur(R) had molar teeth brushing daily with the paste and Group III Maxam(R) had molar teeth brushing using Maxam(R) toothpaste. Water was available throughout the eight weeks of the study after which the animals were sacrificed, the jaws separated and the molar teeth scored for dental caries. The results showed a significant (p<0.05) caries reduction of 54.37% by the Dabur(R) toothpaste and 36.86% by Maxam(R). This reduction suggested the inhibitory role the experimental herbal
dentifrice Dabur(R) plays in caries development