Sodium Bicarbonate and Hydrogen Peroxide: The Effect on the Growth of Streptococcus Mutans‪.‬

Introduction There are many products on the market today that aim to reduce the amount of dental biofilm and bacteria in the oral cavity. Over the years, numerous different ingredients and combinations of ingredients have been utilized to accomplish this task. There exists such an abundance of oral care products that finding safe, effective, and appropriate products can be very confusing for consumers. (1) With so many products to choose from, even oral health care professionals may have difficulty making these decisions. In fact, recommending the right products for each individual patient can be a challenging task. However, being knowledgeable about the efficacy of active ingredients in oral care products is advantageous to oral health care professionals and can lessen confusion. This study was designed to compare the antimicrobial properties of sodium bicarbonate and hydrogen peroxide, two ingredients that are commonly used in oral health care products and advertised as effective antimicrobial agents. This study is designed to solely evaluate how these agents specifically affected Streptococcus mutans.