Introduction:

Toothpastes with active ingredients prevent dental caries in children.

Objective:

Determine the in vitro antibacterial activity of three fluoride-free toothpastes and two control solutions against standard Streptococccus mutans strains.

Methods:

A prospective cross-sectional experimental double-blind study was conducted. Trypticase soy agar was used applying the diffusion method at 37 °C for 24 h. The size of the growth inhibition haloes of each group was examined. Data analysis was based on SPSS15 software, using Shapiro-Wilk Gaussian distribution corroboration statistical tests, and the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests.

Results:

Inhibition diameter was 26.69 mm (± 1.85) for 0.12 % chlorhexidine gluconate, 6 mm (± 0) for distilled water, and 6 mm (± 0) and 22.93 mm (± 3.39) for the toothpastes. Comparison of the diameters obtained by the action of 0.12 % chlorhexidine gluconate and distilled water with the fluoride-free toothpastes revealed statistically significant differences in only one of the cases (p< 0.05).

Conclusions:

Not all the baby toothpastes studied display antibacterial activity against the Streptococcus mutans strain ATCC 25175.

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