Effects of myrrh on the strength of suture materials: an in vitro study

The present in vitro study sought to determine the effects of myrrh-containing solutions on common suture materials used in periodontal surgery. Three commonly used suture materials (silk, polyglactin 910, polytetrafluoroethylene) were immersed in four thermostatically controlled experimental media to simulate daily oral rinsing activity, namely -artificial saliva, normal saline solution with 0.2% Commiphora myrrh, full-concentration (100%) Commiphora myrrh oil, and a myrrh-containing commercial mouthwash. Tensile strength was measured at the end of each day using an Instron tensile testing machine. Silk sutures were susceptible to tensile strength loss when exposed to 0.2% myrrh solution once daily for 5 days. Myrrh-containing commercial mouthwash had no effect on tensile strength, but all three suture materials lost tensile strength when exposed to 100% myrrh oil. For patients that routinely use myrrh mouthwashes postoperatively, findings of this study suggested that silk sutures might not be the optimal material choice.