Evaluation of the Physicomechanical and Antibacterial Properties of Glycyrrhiza Glabra and Piper Nigrum Modified Glass Ionomer Cement

Objective: To investigate the relationship between concentration of Glycyrrhiza glabra (GG) and Piper nigrum (PN) on the inhibition zone of S. mutan, Lactobacili and E.coli and their effect on the physicomechanical properties of conventional Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC). Study Design and Setting: This experimental study tested the antibacterial activity and microhardness of modified-GIC at Baqai Medical University and NED University Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: The herbs were added to GIC in 4-16% concentration separately and in combination. Sample characterization was done by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) in 4000-700 cm-1 range. The antibacterial efficacy was tested in-vitro using disc diffusion method on brain heart infusion (BHI) agar plates. Microhardness was tested by Vickers microhardness tester. The pH was measured using digital pH meter and the data was analyzed using Anova test on SPSS software to compare the inhibition zones and a Post-hoc Tukey’s test was conducted. Results: An increase was observed in the inhibitory zone of group 2 (GIC + GG), group 3 (GIC + PN) and group 4 (GIC+GG+PN) as compared to that of conventional GIC (control group) and the increase was more pronounced for GG as compared to PN. The modified groups showed increase in pH at all intervals. Microhardness of modified groups was equal to control group indicating that the addition of herbs into conventional GIC did not impact its physicomechanical properties. Conclusions: The tests revealed improved antibacterial activity of herb-modified GIC without significant changes in the physicomechanical properties