comparison of the antifungal activity of herbal toothpastes against other brands of toothpastes on clinical isolates of candida albicans and candida dubliniensis

To evaluate the anti-Candida activity on Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis species of 2 herbal and 7 other brands of toothpastes commonly used in Kuwait. Antifungal activity was determined by agar diffusion test on 65 isolates of C. albicans and 21 isolates of C. dubliniensis for each toothpaste. A uniform quantity of toothpaste was filled into wells punched into Sabouraud dextrose agar medium plates inoculated with the test isolates, incubated at 37°C; inhibition zone diameters were read after 24 h. The mean inhibition zone diameters ranged between 12 and 23 mm for C. albicans and between 12 and 27 mm for C. dubliniensis. A herbal toothpaste brand manufactured in the Middle Eastern region [United Arab Emirates] consisting of many herbal ingredients compared to other brands was found to be the most active [p < 0.001] against both Candida species tested, which also demonstrated higher inhibitory activity against C. dubliniensis isolates compared to C. albicans. The herbal toothpaste brand presented significant anticandidal activity over conventional toothpastes and may be useful in reducing the pathogenic potential of Candida species

Prevalence of Candida dubliniensis among oral Candida isolates in patients attending the Kuwait University Dental Clinic

The aim of this study was to determine the oral candidal carriage of patients seeking dental treatment at the Kuwait University Dental Clinic and to ascertain the Candida species composition among them. 370 oral rinse samples were collected from patients. The germ tube test, CHROMagar Candida medium and VITEK 2 yeast identification system were used for species identification. C. dubliniensis isolates were confirmed by the production of rough colonies with hyphal fringes and chlamydospores on simplified sunflower seed agar. Of the 370 samples investigated, 160 [43.24%] showed Candida in culture. The isolation of Candida was significantly higher in individuals who were smokers or were under medication for either diabetics or asthma [99 [62%]] compared to healthy individuals [61 [38%]]. Of the 210 samples which did not yield Candida, 131 [62.38%] were healthy and 79 [37.62%] were associated with smoking or with usage of drugs for aforementioned conditions. Species isolated were C. albicans [102 [63.7%]], C. dubliniensis [23[14.3%]], C. krusei [13 [8.1%]], C. tropicalis [12 [7.5%]] and C. glabrata [10 [6.2%]].Candida species were more prevalent in patients having predisposing factors implicated in oral candidosis, such as in smokers, diabetic patients and asthmatic patients using inhalation steroids. C. albicans was the most prevalent species isolated, followed by C. dubliniensis

Comparison of the use of the halimeter and the Oral Chroma[TM] in the assessment of the ability of common cultivable oral anaerobic bacteria to produce malodorous volatile sulfur compounds from cysteine and methionine

To compare the use of the Halimeter and the Oral Chroma[TM] to assess the ability of common oral anaerobic bacteria isolated from the Kuwaiti population to produce volatile sulfur compounds [VSCs]. Broth cultures of common anaerobes isolated from supragingival plaque were centrifuged and pellets resuspended in phosphate buffer [pH 7.7] with an optical density OD550 of 0.3. 100 micro l of this suspension and 870 micro l of buffer were added in 2 sterile 15-ml head space vials. Reaction was initiated by addition of 30 micro l of 33 mML-methionine and L-cysteine, respectively, in each vial and incubation at 37°C for 90 min. 500 micro l of 3 M phosphoric acid was added to tubes and was kept aside for 10 min. Production of VSCs was measured using the Halimeter and the Oral Chroma. The major VSC producers identified by both Halimeter and Oral Chroma with L-cystenine as substrate were Campylobacter ureolyticus, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Prevotella intermedia, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Gemella morbillorum. The concentrations of hydrogen sulfide recorded by both Halimeter and Oral Chroma were essentially identical. With L-methionine as substrate, both Halimeter and Oral Chroma identified different complements of anaerobes with C. ureolyticus, P. gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum and P. intermedia as major VSC producers. The concentrations of methyl mercaptan recorded by the Halimeter were lower compared to those assessed by the Oral Chroma. The results suggest that the Oral Chroma may produce a more comprehensive assessment of VSC production by oral microflora than the Halimeter