Short communication - A LABORATORY EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY OF A HERBAL DENTIFRICE ON DENTAL CARIES IN THE RAT

The efficacy of a topically applied herbal dentifrice (toothpaste) Dabur ^(R) was evaluated in thirty albino rats. Dental caries was induced by inoculating their mouths with Streptococcus viridans and then fed a cariogenic 56% sucrose sugar in addition to rat pellets. The animals were then divided into 3 equal groups with 10 rats per group. Group 1, the (control) had daily molar teeth brushing with water, while Group II Dabur^(R) had molar teeth brushing daily with the paste and Group III Maxam^(R) had molar teeth brushing using Maxam^(R) toothpaste. Water was available throughout the eight weeks of the study after which the animals were sacrificed, the jaws separated and the molar teeth scored for dental caries. The results showed a significant (p <0.05) caries reduction of 54.37% by the Dabur^(R) toothpaste and 36.86% by Maxam^(R). This reduction suggested the inhibitory role the experimental herbal dentifrice Dabur^(R) plays in caries development.