Dental caries (tooth decay) is one of the most prevalent infectious disease and although of multifactorial origin, Streptococcus mutans is considered the principal pathogen in its development (i.e. bacterial processes damage hard tooth structure (enamel, dentine and cementum), producing dental cavities (holes in the teeth). The bactericidal properties of the Nd:YAG laser has been researched analyzing its use in caries prevention and bacterial reduction. One hundred twenty five samples were collected from carious teeth and isolated bacteria were diagnosed using microscopic examination, culture, biochemical tests, and Api 20 strep system. The results of this study showed that a noticeable decrease in the viability of Streptococcus mutans w

Background: Antibacterial action of root canal filling is an important factor for successful root canal treatment, so the aim of the study was to identify and to compare the antimicrobial effect of new sealer (GuttaFlow) to commonly used endodontic sealers (AH Plus, Apexit and EndoFill) against four endodontic microbes. Materials and methods: Twenty patients aged (30-40) years with infected root canals were selected. Four types of microorganisms were isolated from root canals (E faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, E coli and Candida albicans) and cultured on Mueller Hinton agar Petri-dishes. After identification and isolation of bacterial species, agar diffusion method was used to assess the antibacterial action of four contemporary endodontic

The in vitro antimicrobial activity of Thymus vulgaris,Origanum vulgare and
Rosmarinus officinalis water extracts were studied against Streptococcus mutans,
Lactobacillus acidophilus and Candida albicans isolates two of each isolate. All cold water
extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against all tested microorganisms. The largest zone of
inhibition was obtained against Candida albicans isolates. Streptococcus mutans isolates and
one isolate of Lactobacillus acidophilus showed no effect in 300mg\ml concentration of
Thymus vulgaris extract,while the same concentration of Rosmarinus officinalis extract had
no effect on all Streptococcus mutans isolates and Lactobacillus acidophilus isolates
.Origanum vul

Background: Alum has been used as a treatment medication in cases of oral and gingival ulcers, and also as antiseptic mouthwash. This study aimed to examine the effects of different concentrations of Alum on inhibition zone, viability counts and adherence ability of Mutans streptococci compared with deionized water and chlorhexidine gluconate in vitro. Materials and methods: The study dealt with an in vitro study to establish a concentration of Alum mouthrinse that would have the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bacteriocidal concentration. The second part evaluated the anti-adherence ability of the experimental agents. Results: This study found that the antibacterial effect of Alum increases with its concentration from 50 to 1

Background: The interest in herbal extracts as antimicrobial agents has increased over the past few years in endodontic therapy. Nasturtium officinale (watercress) is a promising plant with great medicinal values. This study aimed to investigate the antifungal activity of watercress oil in combination with calcium hydroxide against Candida albicans as intracanal medicament. Materials and Methods: Candida albicans was isolated from patients with necrotic root canal or failed root canal treatment. The sensitivity of Candida albicans to different concentrations of watercress oil extract was determined by using the agar well diffusion method in comparison with calcium hydroxide paste. The agar plate method was used to determine the minimum fung

Background: The prevention of the enamel demineralization at the periphery of the brackets is a significant challenge to orthodontic professionals. The aim of this clinical study was to compare the Streptococcus mutants count in the plaque surrounding two orthodontic adhesive types, Fuji Ortho LC and Enlight (Ormco). Materials and methods: A total of 13 patients (7 male and 6 female) needing fixed orthodontic appliance therapy were participated. A split mouth technique was followed with appliances bonded by two orthodontic adhesive types, Fuji Ortho LC and Enlight (Ormco). Saliva was collected before placement of appliances (T0) and again at three weeks (T1) and six weeks (T2) after placement of appliances. Plaque was collected from areas a

The study was conducted to e'aluate the effect of Myrrh essential oil on growth of three isolates of Candida albicans. Results
.showed inhlbitory effect of Myrrh essential o.il on growth of the teste<:!
isolates. MTC tor vaginal and nail .isolates· was 5% where is for the standard isolate it w I 0%. AdditionaUy, Es ential oil affect morphology types of Candida albiccms cells, .resuJting double increase in pseu.dohyphae percentage and double decrease in budding cell percentage .compared to the control types which may indicate JYossible
e£fect on division and reproduction.
Activity of essential oil of Myrrh using gaseous contact
method showed .inhibitory effect of the ojl for the hree isolates. with
MIC more than

Fourty three isolates ( 20.7%) characterized as Staphylococcus aureus , were isolated from 207 different clinical sources (blood , nose, , wound , urine , vaginal, ear and eye) in different percentages (30.23, 18.60, 16.28, 13.95, 15.15, 6.96 and 2.33 %), respectively. The staphyloxanthin (STX) production of S. aureus isolate was estimated 72.1% .The optimal conditions for pigment production by S. aureus AE36 , were detected and was noticed that the milk agar medium revealed the highest production of pigment which was estimated to be 165.21unit/cell, at pH 8 for 72 hr at 370C. The Staphyloxanthin pigment was extracted using methanol and was purified partially by organic solvents and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). The results revealed t

      Fungus Candida spp. causes vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) which is a fungal infection of the genital mucosa. This investigation was on the isolation of Candida albicans from cervical-vulvovaginal patients in Erbil hospitals, Kurdistan region, Iraq and its identification is done using phenotypic and molecular approaches. Then biofilm production was detected through phenotypic tests such as Congo red agar (CRA) and disclosure virulence genes, agglutinin-like sequence(ALS1) and hyphal wall protein (HWP1). The susceptibilities of antifungal medications and plant extracts against C. albicans isolates were then assessed. This study showed low susceptibilities values to all tested antifung

The main objective of this study is to determine whether the use of He-Ne Laser (632.8 nm wavelength and power 0.5 mW) is an eligible and effective tool to kill or reduce the cell viability of Candida albicans isolated from complete upper dentures. Twenty one swabs were taken from the complete upper dentures. Only six swabs showed positive cultures for C. albicans. The isolate was divided into two groups, group I was not irradiated (control), and group II was irradiated by He-Ne Laser for different periods (10, 15, 20, and 30) min. After irradiation, the results showed a significant reduction in the viable cell count and colonies diameters especially at exposure periods 10 and 15 min. Although the low power He-Ne Laser was not eradicating t