Development of Alcohol-free Herbal Mouthwash Having Anticancer Property

Abstract

Abstract
Mouthwash is a liquid accessory to clean and maintain the health of our teeth for oral hygiene. Nowadays, we use commercial mouthwash which contains many chemical compounds like sodium lauryl sulfate, thymol, methyl salicylate, benzalkonium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol which are harmful to our buccal cavity. We have developed a mouthwash with some common food materials and herbs and which can replace costly chemicals like alcohol, coloring agents and preservatives making our mouthwash economically more viable than commercial mouthwash. A herbal mouthwash preparation is developed using the extracts of peppermint oil, clove oil, betel leaf extract, ajwain, ginger, basil, etc., in sterilized conditions having antibacterial, anti-cancer, anti-fungal activity. Basil leaves are known to reduce malodor and possess antibacterial property. Ajwain helps in digestion and removal of malodour. The sensory, physiochemical and microbial analysis of the mouthwash preparation was carried out on the day of preparation and on the seventh day after sample preparation to determine its physiochemical changes, shelf life and its antibacterial property (on the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria) when the sample prepared was kept under two different temperature conditions – ambient temperature and refrigerated temperature.
Keywords: Oral hygiene, economically viable, antibacterial, malodour, shelf life