This is a refereed journal and all articles are professionally screened and reviewed ORIGINAL ARTICLE Advances in Medical and Dental Sciences, 2(3): 61-65, 2008 ISSN 1995-0764 © 2008, American-Eurasian Network for Scientific Information 61 Assessment of in Vitro and in Vivo Antimicrobial Activities of Selected Nigerian Tootpastes and Mouth Washes on Some Oral Pathogens Adejumo O.E, Olubamiwa A.O., Ogundeji B.A., and Kolapo A.L. 1 2 2 2 Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Olabisi Onabanjo University, 1 Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria. Biology Department, The Polytechnic, Ibadan. Oyo state. Nigeria. 2 Adejumo O.E, Olubamiwa A.O., Ogundeji B.A., and Kolapo A.L., Assessment of in Vitro and in Vivo Antimicrobial Activities of Selected Nigerian Tootpastes and Mouth Washes on Some Oral Pathogens, Adv. in Med. Dent. Sci., 2(3): 61-65, 2008 . ABSTRACT The in vitro and in vivo assessment of antimicrobial activities of some commonly patronised toothpastes and mouth washes in Nigeria against some oral pathogens was carried out. The pathogens used include Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans. On the basis of a survey amongst two hundred people, seven toothpastes and three mouthwashes were selected for assessment. Different concentrations (50%, 25%, 12.5%, 6.25% and 3.175%) of the selected toothpastes and mouthwashes were prepared with sterile saline (0.9%); these and undiluted samples were used immediately for the in vitro testing using standard procedures. The in vivo study involved ten groups of people (a group per sample), with each group consisting of five volunteers. Mouth rinses were collected from the volunteers before and immediately after using the dental care product, as well as at 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after initial mouthwash. Viable counts were carried out on the mouth rinses and results expressed as log cfu/ml. For the three organisms used, the in vitro growth inhibition was dependent on both the sample used and the concentrations tested. There were significant differences (P<0.05) between the exhibited in vitro antibacterial activities of the investigated mouth care products. Most toothpaste lost their in vitro antimicrobial activities at #12.5% concentrations. Results of in vivo assessment revealed that immediate reduction in viable counts and the sustenance of such reduction were poor for most of the investigated samples. The implications of these results and the needed interventions are herein discussed. Key words: Antimicrobial activity, Herbal dentifrice, Mouthwash, Nigeria, Toothpastes Introduction Dental plaque is the film of microorganisms formed on the tooth surface embedded in a matrix of polymers of salivary and bacterial origin. Dental plaque develops naturally on the surface and forms part of the host defenses of the mouth by acting as barrier to colonization by exogenous microorganisms[11]. Although dental plaque forms naturally on teeth, in the absence of adequate oral hygiene, it can accumulate beyond levels that are compatible with dental health, and at a susceptible site, dental caries or periodontal diseases can occur. In many individuals, the customary oral hygiene method of tooth brushing is, by itself, usually insufficient over a long period to provide a level of plaque control consistent with oral health. Consequently, the incorporation of chemical agents with anti-plaque or antimicrobial activity into dental products has been proposed as a potential prophylactic method of reducing plaque-mediated disease[6,10,1]. In a similar development, Killoy[8] submitted that a recent trend is to employ local antimicrobial delivery in the treatment of periodontitis. Alkaloid extract of Sanguinaria canadensis incorporated into various dentifrices and Corresponding Author Adejumo O.E., Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, E.mail: funmijumo@yahoo.co.uk<mailto:funmijumo@yahoo.co.uk>