Efficacy of Clotrimazole, Chlorhexidine, and Tea Tree Oil against Candida albicans

Background: Candida species are an important cause of opportunistic infection in the oral cavity of immunocompromised patients. Various antifungal agents have been used for the treatment of oral candida infection. Tea tree oil is a herbal product which is known to have broad antifungal properties. Objective: To compare the antifungal efficacy of 1% tea tree oil, 1% clotrimazole, and 0.2% chlorhexidine mouth washes against Candida albicans. Materials and methods: Cup plate diffusion method was employed to test antifungal efficacy of three commercially available mouthwashes, namely tea tree oil, clotrimazole, and chlorhexidine on C. albicans strain (ATCC 2091). The maximum zone of inhibition was measured at 48 hours to assess the antifungal potency. Results: The zone of inhibition of both tea tree oil and chlorhexidine were found to increase with increase in the volume of the agents. Conclusion: One percent clotrimazole and 0.2% chlorhexidine showed better antifungal efficacy against C. albicans compared with 1% tea tree oil.