Evaluation of Antibacterial Effect of Propolis and its Application in Mouthwash Production.

OBJECTIVES

Our purpose was to determine the antibacterial properties of propolis and to evaluate its use as an antibacterial mouthwash with minimal complications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this experimental laboratory study, an alcoholic propolis extract was prepared. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was calculated for four bacterial species including (), (), (), and () using agar dilution. According to the MIC, a propolis antibacterial mouthwash was produced and compared to water, chlorhexidine (CHX), and Listerine using laboratory rats for clinical examination. Salivary specimens of rats were collected at 12 hours, 1 week, and 2 weeks after using the mouthwash and examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and repeated measures ANOVA (α=0.05).

RESULTS

The results of agar dilution by the number of colony-forming units showed the lowest MIC for and the highest for . Our RT-PCR findings indicated that water alone had no effect on the level of oral bacteria. Propolis mouthwash showed a significant difference with CHX and Listerine (P<0.05) in terms of the number of , , and colonies, while CHX and Listerine were less efficient. There was no significant difference between CHX and propolis (P=0.110) regarding colonies, but Listerine had a lower efficacy than either (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

According to the results, propolis mouthwash was more efficient against the studied oral bacteria compared to CHX and Listerine.