Effect of Green Tea and Chlorhexidine Mouth Rinses on Cariogenic Bacteria

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of green tea mouthwash in comparison to mouthwashes containing chlorhexidine on the clinical isolated Lactobacilli. Samples from 22-year-old University of Babylon College of Dentistry students were gathered to evaluate caries bacteria. They had been divided up, into three groups: the control group, the green tea mouthwash group, and the chlorhexidine mouthwash group. Each group consists of thirty people. The colony counts of lactobacillus were measured before and after the intervention (one and two weeks), and the data was analyzed using the ANOVA and post hoc tests. After a week of treatment, the Anova and Post Hoc Tests showed that the chlorhexidine and green tea groups of lactobacillus differed significantly, (P-value < 0.05). Nevertheless, no significant, changes (P-value >0.05) were seen between groups for lactobacillus after two weeks of treatment. Green tea mouthwash effectively reduces the salivary levels of Lactobacillus and can incorporated in dental products as an effective anticariogenic agents.