Mortsel, Belgium: Cannabinoids possess more potent anti-bacterial activity than do commercially marketed oral care products in the treatment of dental plaque, according to preclinical data published in the journal Cureus.
A pair of Belgian researchers compared the efficacy of oral care products and cannabinoids (cannabidiol, cannabichromene, cannabinol, and cannabigerol) in reducing the bacterial content of dental plaques. Plaque samples were collected from human subjects and incubated in a petri dish.
Authors reported, “By evaluating the colony count of the dental bacteria isolated from six groups, it was found that cannabinoids were more effective in reducing the bacterial colony count in dental plaques as compared to the well-established synthetic oral care products such as Oral B and Colgate.”
They concluded, “Although commercially available oral care products are considerably effective in maintaining the oral hygiene of the average population, our study found that cannabinoids are substantially effective in reducing the colony count of the bacterial strains of the dental plaque as compared to the well-established synthetic oral care products such as Oral B and Colgate. … We believe that our study opens up the possibilities of developing personalized next-generation oral care products based on cannabinoids.”
Prior preclinical studies have previously demonstrated cannabinoids to possess potent anti-bacterial properties, particularly against MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus) and malaria.
Full text of the study, “Comparison of efficacy of cannabinoids versus commercial oral care products in reducing bacterial content from dental plaque: A preliminary observation,” appears in Cureus.