Assessment of antifungal activity of six popular toothpastes against clinical isolates of Candida albicans

Introduction The oral cavity is a habitat for a large number of microorganisms which coexist with one another as normal microbiota. Candida species are ovoid budding yeast like fungi. The organism is a normal commensal of humans found on skin and throughout gastrointestinal tract. Poor oral hygiene, high carbohydrate diet, nutritional deficiencies, diabetes mellitus, dental prostheses, heavy cigarette smoking, immunosuppression and HIV infection are associated with increased incidence of oral thrush. Oral candidiasis may present as oral thrush, acute atrophic candidiasis, chronic atrophic candidiasis/denture sore mouth, angular cheilitis and Candida leukoplakia. Different toothpaste brands have their own composition and concentration of ingredients. Many toothpastes claim to have antimicrobial properties. More research is needed to evaluate these claims. Objectives The study aims to determine the antifungal activity of six different toothpastes commonly used in the locality. Materials & Methods Six brands of toothpastes were selected to determine the antifungal activity against 10 clinical isolates of Candida albicans by standard agar well diffusion method. Antifungal activity of toothpastes was determined in both undiluted and diluted forms on antimycotic sensitivity media by measuring the zone of inhibition. Results All toothpastes showed antifungal activity in undiluted forms. Brand-1 and brand-3 showed antifungal activity even in diluted solutions. Conclusion All six toothpastes have antifungal activity in undiluted forms, but brand-1 & 3 have activity in diluted forms also. There is a need to create a standardized method to evaluate antifungal activity of different brands of toothpastes.