Antibacterial effect of composite incorporating Triclosan against Streptococcus mutans

It has been shown that composite incorporating the antibacterial agent Triclosan (Irgasan DP 300, which is sparingly soluble in water, inhibited in vitro plaque formation by Streptococcus mutans, although the release of the agent was much less than the minimum inhibitory concentration for the bacterium. In this study, the inhibitory effect of the composite incorporating 1% Triclosan against growth and adherence of S. mutans was investigated. S. mutans was inoculated on the surface of a specimen made of control or Triclosan-incorporated composite and the number of bacteria was compared after 3, 6, 12 and 24 hr of incubation. The adherence of S. mutans to the control and experimental composite, with or without saliva treatment, was also examined by scanning electron microscopy. The composite incorporating Triclosan demonstrated significant inhibition of growth of S. mutans after 6, 12 and 24 hr of incubation. Adherence of S. mutans to the Triclosan-incorporated composite was less compared with control for both non-treated and saliva-treated specimens. It is concluded that the antiplaque effect of composite incorporating Triclosan depends upon its ability to inhibit bacterial growth and adherence, and Triclosan-incorporated composite is able to exhibit the antibacterial activity even after being treated with saliva.