In vitro antifungal effect of mouth rinses containing chlorhexidine and thymol

Background/purposeIn this in vitro study, we assessed the antifungal effect of mouth rinses containing chlorhexidine and thymol.Materials and methodsThe fungistatic activities of chlorhexidine- and thymol-containing mouth rinses were assessed by means of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the fungicidal activity was determined by a time-kill assay.ResultsThe chlorhexidine-containing mouthwash was able to kill all strains of Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis in shorter times compared to the thymol-containing mouthwash. Hexidine showed an MIC of 1:32 for both Candida species, whereas Listerine respectively showed MICs of 1:8 and 1:16 for C. albicans and C. tropicalis.ConclusionsAntimicrobial agents used in the study had good in vitro activity against the two Candida species. Mouth rinses containing chlorhexidine showed superior antifungal and fungicidal activities compared to the thymol-containing mouth rinse. Both antimicrobial agents may be suggested for use as topical antifungal agents.