RESUMO
Abstract Objective: To evaluate in vitro the antimicrobial effect of Listerine-green tea mouthwash on Streptococcus mutans (SM) in comparison with 0.12% Chlorhexidine (CHX) and Listerine-Zero. Material and Methods: The sensitivity and growth inhibition of SM bacterial species were evaluated and compared between Listerine-green tea, 0.12% CHX and Listerine-Zero mouthwashes. Sixty plates containing SM colonies were prepared in three groups (n=20), and growth inhibition zones were measured using the disk diffusion agar test in mm. Data were analyzed with SPSS 21. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the efficacy of the three mouthwashes tested. Post hoc Tukey tests were used for two-by-two comparisons. Statistical significance was defined at P<0.05. Results: Analysis of data showed significant differences between the three groups (p<0.001); 0.12% CHX was the most effective mouthwash, and Listerine-Zero exhibited the least effect on the growth inhibition of SM (p<0.004). Conclusion: All three mouthwashes were significantly effective in inhibiting the growth of SM. The effect of Listerine-green tea mouthwash was higher than that of Listerine-Zero and less than that of 0.12% CHX.