Toothpaste is an essential oral hygiene product commonly used to sustain oral health due to its incorporation of antimicrobial agents. Numerous functional toothpastes enriched with antimicrobial agents have been developed and are available to consumers. This study evaluates the antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy of 12 commercially available toothpaste products, including those with specialized functions. Statistical significance was assessed to validate the differences observed among the toothpaste samples. Their effects on Streptococcus mutans, the primary pathogen responsible for dental caries, were evaluated. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined, and bacterial growth was measured to compare antimicrobial activities. Toothpaste containing 1000 μg/mL fluoride and whitening toothpaste exhibited the strongest antimicrobial effects, effectively inhibiting S. mutans growth. Additionally, bamboo salt-enriched and tartar-control toothpaste demonstrated inhibitory effects on bacterial growth. Assays to evaluate the ability of cells to form biofilms and the expression of genes involved in biofilm formation revealed a partial correlation between biofilm formation and spaP, gtfB, gtfC, and gtfD expression, although some showed opposite trends. Collectively, this study provides valuable insights into the antimicrobial and biofilm inhibition capabilities of commercial toothpastes against S. mutans, offering a foundation for evaluating the efficacy of functional toothpaste products.
Lee et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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