There is a special focus on using natural materials and herbal plants to prevent dental caries. Previous studies showed that some herbal plants have antimicrobial effects on oral pathogens. Thus we investigated the antimicrobial effects of three herbal extracts (Carum copticum, Phlomis bruguieri, and Marrubium parviflorum) on the growth of Streptococcus mutans, as the most important bacteria causing dental caries. First, plant methanolic extracts were prepared. Then, to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the three herbal extracts, the agar well diffusion method and MIC were performed. The biofilm formation was carried out using a broth dilution method with 2% glucose-supplemented BHIS in sterile 96-well microplates. Serial dilutions (50, 25, 12.5, 6.25, 3.12 mg/ml) of extracts were prepared. Next, a 0.5 McFarland Suspension of S. mutans was added to wells. The inhibitory effect on biofilm formation was measured by the ELISA reader apparatus. The assay was repeated three times, and the average was calculated as 3. The results were compared with those of Chlorhexidine 0.2%. Carum copticum showed a better effect in the agar well diffusion method than others. MIC of the extracts of Carum coptimum, Phlomis bruguieri, and Marrubium parviflorum were 3.12, 6.25, and 12.5 mg/ml, respectively. Overall, the highest activity belonged to Carum copticum extract. For the anti-biofilm effect, the OD values of Carum copticum and Marrubium parviflorum were significantly different from that of Phlomis bruguieri. Although all of the methanolic herbal extracts can inhibit S. mutans growth and remove the biofilm, the effect of Carum copticum was better than Phlomis bruguieri and Marrubium parviflorum. Further studies are recommended to indicate how these extracts perform against the bacteria.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the color change (∆E00) of 7 brands of denture teeth (conventional acrylic and composite teeth) following immersion in staining solutions. Materials and Methods: Maxillary central incisor denture teeth made of 4 conventional acrylic resins (Vitapan, SR Vivodent PE, Beta Star and Crystal) and 3 composite resins (Finex, Emeral and Phonares II) were randomly divided into four groups (n=5). Denture teeth of different brands were immersed in tea, coffee, cola, and turmeric solutions. The solutions were incubated at 37°C. The baseline color of the teeth was measured using an intraoral spectrophotometer. The color of the teeth was measured after 24 h (∆E12), 1 week (∆E13), 2 weeks (∆E14), and 1 month (∆E15). ∆E00 was calculated and analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Pairwise comparisons were performed by the Tukey’s post-hoc test (P<0.05). Results: The color stability of all teeth was significantly affected by the solutions (P<0.001). The type of tooth and coloring solution had significant interactions at all times (P<0.05). Turmeric caused the maximum color change in all teeth after 1 month. Repeated measures ANOVA showed that ∆E00 of all teeth was significantly affected by the duration of immersion in the solutions (P<0.001). Conclusion: within the limitations of this study, 1-month immersion of denture teeth in coffee, tea and cola solution altered the ∆E values; however, they were within the acceptable range, except for Beta Star. Turmeric solution caused unacceptable color change in all denture teeth even after 24 h of immersion.

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