Evaluat
Evaluation of Natural Products for Maintaining Gingival
Condition and Preventing Caries during Orthodontic Treatment: Part II: Raisins
AL-Dany A.A.1,
Hussein N Al-Khalipha1 Ramadan Y Abu Shahba1 and
Marwa Mostafa 2
1Orthodontic Department, Faculty of Dental Medicine,
Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
2 The regional Center for Myology and
Biotechnology, Culture and Sensitivity Unit, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. [email protected]
Abstract: The purposes of this study were to investigate:
(1) the effect of chewing raisins on the plaque pH in orthodontic patients. (2)
The effect of chewing raisins on the bacterial count in dental plaque. (3) The in
vitroeffect of raisins on growth of plaque bacteria. Twenty 12- to
18-year-olds, orthodontic patients participated in this randomized controlled
study. Raisins were tested against sucrose and sorbitol as positive and negative
controls. The pH of saliva was measured with digital pH meter prior to
(baseline) and 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 minutes after chewing raisins or rinsing
with a control solution. Plaque samples were obtained from five sites using a
sterile periodontal probe. S. mutans, lactobacilli and P.
gingivalis were isolated and counted. The bacteria were incubated in
nutrient media at 37oC for 24 hours. The antibacterial activity of
raisins was tested against commonly used antibiotics using the sensitivity test
by disc diffusion method. The results showed significant differences in the
minimum pH in raisins and sucrose groups when compared to sorbitol (P≤
.05 and P≤ .01 respectively). Raisins showed less pH drop than
sucrose (P≤ .05). The pH in raisins group showed rapid recovery and did
not reach the critical value for decalcification (5.5). Bacterial counting
showed significant reduction in the number of studied microorganisms after
chewing raisins. Raisins showed significant growth inhibition of all studied
strains which was comparable or even more than antibiotics tested. The results
of the present study support the beneficial oral effects of raisins, but would
recommend further clinical researches before the use of raisins as an
alternative to the traditional remedies for prevention of dental caries and
gingivitis during orthodontic treatment.
[AL-Dany A.A., Hussein N Al-Khalipha, Ramadan Y Abu Shahba and Marwa Mostafa. Evaluation
of Natural Products for Maintaining Gingival Condition and Preventing Caries
during Orthodontic Treatment: Part II: Raisins. J Am Sci 2013;9(6):554-560].
(ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience.org. 69
Keywords: Evaluation; Natural Product; Caries; Orthodontic
Treatment; Raisins Full Text 69
