Taurolin as an oral rinse. I. Antimicrobial effects in vitro and in vivo.

Taurolin, a synthetic antimicrobial agent, has been suggested to be of potential value as an inhibitor of dental plaque. Although data on the antibacterial activity of Taurolin are available there is a dearth of information for effects on oral bacterial isolates and antibacterial activity in the mouth. This study assessed the in vivo and in vitro antibacterial properties of a Taurolin rinse by a) determining the MID values against seven oral isolates and b) measuring salivary bacterial counts following a single rinse. By comparing activity with chlorhexidine, it was hoped to determine substantivity and predict the relative ability of Taurolin to inhibit plaque through an antimicrobial effect. For Taurolin, MID values against the test organisms were found to range between 1:20 and 1:80, while for chlorhexidine, values between 1:320 to 1:640 were obtained. The effects on salivary bacterial counts revealed that Taurolin significantly reduced salivary bacterial counts compared to saline up to 5 hours post rinsing, but was significantly less effective than chlorhexidine after 30 minutes and up to 7 hours. Results indicate that Taurolin has some persistence of antimicrobial activity in the mouth. This suggests that Taurolin would possess some plaque inhibitory properties albeit less than chlorhexidine. These conclusions were confirmed in a subsequent investigation.