Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Effect of Cranberry Extract on Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus: An In Vitro Study.

BACKGROUND: Nature has been a source of medicinal treatments since millennia and plant-based systems continue to play an essential role. AIM: To study the antimicrobial and antibiofilm effect of cranberry on Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ethanolic extract of cranberry was tested against standard MTCC strains of S. mutans (MTCC 25175) and L. acidophilus (MTCC 8129) for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The time kill assay was performed to check the time-dependent bactericidal effect of the cranberry extract on microorganisms. Percentage of cell adhesion and biofilm inhibition of the dental microorganism at various doses of cranberry extract was measured by a spectrophotometer and biofilm morphology characteristics were observed under scanning electron microscopy. All the tests were carried out in triplicates. Data were computed in the SPSS software and mean/SD was determined. The results are presented in a descriptive manner; Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Friedman's test were applied for comparative evaluation of the groups. p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The results showed that MICs of cranberry extract against S. mutans and L. acidophilus are 12.5 mg/dL and 6.125 mg/dL, respectively, and MBCs are 25 mg/dL and 12.5 mg/dL, respectively. A significant decrease in the biofilm formation and cell adhesion of microorganisms at MIC (50%) and MBC (70%) was observed as compared to control as observed under a spectrophotometer and a scanning electron microscope. CONCLUSION: This study has identified bactericidal, bacteriostatic, and antibiofilm effects of cranberry extract against S. mutans and L. acidophilus in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Singhal R, Patil P, Siddibhavi M, et al. Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Effect of Cranberry Extract on Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus: An In Vitro Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(1):11-15.

Anesthetic efficacy of anterior middle superior alveolar injection in single-visit endodontic therapy: an in vivo study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and compare the anesthetic efficacy of anterior middle superior alveolar (AMSA) injection in single-visit endodontic therapy, an in vivo study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Teeth in the maxillary anterior segment (N = 60) requiring single-visit endodontic (SVE) therapy were selected. A conventional syringe with 26-guage needle containing 1.5 ml lignocaine with 1:80,000 epinephrine was used for the AMSA injection. The SVE therapy was performed using standard protocol. Profoundness of anesthesia during therapy was evaluated at 15-, 30-, 60-, and 90-min intervals using pain rating score and marked on visual analogue scale. In patients who reported pain/ineffectiveness of anesthesia during the course of endodontic therapy, additional supplemental anesthesia (buccal/labial infiltration) was administered. Depending on effectiveness of anesthesia with the AMSA injection alone or the need for additional supplementary injections, patients were divided as: group I-only AMSA and group II-AMSA with one or two supplemental anesthesia. RESULTS: The AMSA injection was effective in 91.67% of the patients undergoing the SVE therapy and the duration of anesthesia for the AMSA injection alone was adequate until the completion of the SVE therapy. Supplementary injections were required in 8.33% of cases at 15-min interval to achieve profound anesthesia. CONCLUSION: The AMSA injection technique could be used as an alternative to the conventional infiltration technique for anesthetizing teeth in maxillary anterior segment during the SVE therapy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The AMSA injection provides profound pulpal anesthesia of teeth in maxillary anterior segment during endodontic therapy.

Effectiveness of different oral health education interventions in visually impaired school children.

AIM: To assess the oral hygiene status, knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) in visually impaired children before and after imparting 3 different modes of oral health education. METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS: The present study was a nonrandomized interventional study conducted among visually impaired school children. Ninety visually impaired children aged 12-15 years were selected by lottery method and divided into 3 groups (30 children each). Group 1: ATP (audio, tactile, performance technique), Group 2: Braille, and Group 3: ATP + Braille. Twenty-item verbal questionnaire was developed to record their knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding oral hygiene before and after imparting oral health education. The oral hygiene status was recorded and compared using plaque and gingival index after 21-day, 1-, 6-, and 9-month interval. ANOVA, Tukey's post hoc, repeated measures ANOVA, and McNemar test were used. Group 3 showed highest percentage of reduction in plaque (55%) and gingival (52%) scores when compared with Group 1 and Group 2. CONCLUSION: The combination of ATP (audio, tactile, and performance technique) and Braille is an effective way to improve oral hygiene status in visually impaired children. The KAP among these children also improved significantly after imparting oral health education.

Effectiveness of three mouthwashes - Manuka honey, Raw honey, and Chlorhexidine on plaque and gingival scores of 12-15-year-old school children: A randomized controlled field trial.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of three types of mouthwashes manuka honey (MH), raw honey (RH), and chlorhexidine (CHX) on plaque and gingival scores of 12-15-year-old government school children. STUDY DESIGN: This study was a double-blind, randomized controlled field trial conducted in Belagavi city, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and thirty-five government school children aged 12-15 years were randomly selected and allocated into three groups, RH, MH, and CHX mouthwash groups. Ten milliliters each of honey-based mouthwash formulation and CHX mouthwashes (0.2%) were administered according to the group allocation twice daily for 21 days. All the children were examined at baseline, 22nd day (after discontinuation of mouthwash) and 28th day (1 week after discontinuation of mouthwash) for Gingival (Loe and silness 1963) and Plaque Index (Silness and Loe, 1964). RESULTS: Descriptive statistics was applied for distribution of study participants according to age and gender. One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test and repeated measures ANOVA test followed by Bonferroni's post hoc were applied for inter- and intragroup comparison, respectively. Statistically significant reductions (P < 0.001) in plaque and gingival scores were observed in all the three types of mouthwash groups at the end of the 22nd day and 28th day. MH and RH mouthwash demonstrated equal effectiveness, whereas CHX mouthwash showed the maximum reduction in clinical parameters. CONCLUSION: Honey-based mouthwash showed a promising antimicrobial effect on dental caries and plaque and gingival scores.

Solubility Enhancement of Raloxifene Using Inclusion Complexes and Cogrinding Method.

The objective of the present work was to enhance the solubility and dissolution of practically water-insoluble drug raloxifene HCl (RLX), for the same two approaches that were used. In the first approach, drug was kneaded with hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HPßCD), and in the second one drug was cogrinded with modified guar gum (MGG). The drug-cyclodextrin complex and drug-MGG cogrind mixtures were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction studies, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The solubility and dissolution study reveals that solubility and dissolution rate of RLX remarkably increased in both methods. It was concluded that the prepared inclusion complex showed a remarkable increase in solubility and dissolution of poorly water-soluble drug raloxifene. In the cogrinding mixture, a natural modified gum is used as a surfactant and enhances the solubility and dissolution of RLX without requiring addition of organic solvent or high temperature for its preparation; thus, process is less cumbersome and cost effective. But when both methods were compared; HPßCD complexation method showed significant enhancement of drug solubility.

Enhancement of solubility and dissolution rate of poorly water soluble raloxifene using microwave induced fusion method

The objective of the present work was to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate of the drug raloxifene HCl (RLX), which is poorly soluble in water. The solubility of RLX was observed to increase with increasing concentration of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC E5 LV). The optimized ratio for preparing a solid dispersion (SD) of RLX with HPMC E5 LV using the microwave-induced fusion method was 1:5 w/w. Microwave energy was used to prepare SDs. HPMC E5 LV was used as a hydrophilic carrier to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate of RLX. After microwave treatment, the drug and hydrophilic polymer are fused together, and the drug is converted from the crystalline form into an amorphous form. This was confirmed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) studies. These results suggested that the microwave method is a simple and efficient method of preparing SDs. The solubility and dissolution rate of the SDs were increased significantly compared with pure RLX due to the surfactant and wetting properties of HPMC E5 LV and the formation of molecular dispersions of the drug in HPMC E5 LV. It was concluded that the solubility and dissolution rate of RLX are increased significantly when an SD of the drug is prepared using the microwave-induced fusion method.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi aumentar a solubilidade e taxa de dissolução do cloridrato de raloxifeno (RLX), que é pouco solúvel em água. A solubilidade do RLX aumentou com o aumento da concentração de hidroxipropilmetilcelulose (HPMC E5 LV). A proporção otimizada para a preparação de uma dispersão sólida (DS) de RLX com HPMC E5 LV utilizando o método de fusão induzida por microondas foi de 1:5 (p/p). A energia do microondas foi usada para preparar DS. O HPMC E5 LV foi utilizado como veículo hidrofílico para aumentar a solubilidade e a taxa de dissolução de RLX. Após o tratamento por microondas, o polímero hidrofílico e o fármaco são fundidos em conjunto, sendo o fármaco convertido da forma cristalina para a amorfa. Confirmou-se por meio de microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC) e difração de raios X do pó (PXRD). Estes resultados sugerem que o método de microondas é simples e eficiente para a preparação de DS. A solubilidade e taxa de dissolução de DS foram aumentadas, significativamente, em comparação com RLX puro devido às propriedades tensoativas e umectantes de HPMC E5 LV e à formação de dispersões moleculares do fármaco em HPMC E5 LV. Concluiu-se que a solubilidade e a taxa de dissolução de RLX foram significativamente aumentadas quando a DS do fármaco é preparada utilizando o método de fusão induzida por microondas.

Degradation analysis of Reactive Red 198 by hairy roots of Tagetes patula L. (Marigold).

Tagetes patula L. (Marigold) hairy roots were selected among few hairy root cultures from other plants tested for the decolorization of Reactive Red 198. Hairy roots of Tagetes were able to remove dye concentrations up to 110 mg L(-l) and could be successively used at least for five consecutive decolorization cycles. The hairy roots of Tagetes decolorized six different dyes, viz. Golden Yellow HER, Methyl Orange, Orange M2RL, Navy Blue HE2R, Reactive Red M5B and Reactive Red 198. Significant induction of the activity of biotransformation enzymes indicated their crucial role in the dye metabolism. UV-vis spectroscopy, HPLC and FTIR spectroscopy analyses confirmed the degradation of Reactive Red 198. A possible pathway for the biodegradation of Reactive Red 198 has been proposed with the help of GC-MS and metabolites identified as 2-aminonaphthol, p-aminovinylsulfone ethyl disulfate and 1-aminotriazine, 3-pyridine sulfonic acid. The phytotoxicity study demonstrated the non-toxic nature of the extracted metabolites. The use of such hairy root cultures with a high ability for bioremediation of dyes is discussed.