# Antimicrobial efficacy of light-cured glass ionomer cements incorporating red propolis extract

## TL;DR

Adding red propolis extract to certain dental cements increases their ability to fight Streptococcus mutans, a bacteria linked to tooth decay.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates that incorporating red propolis extract into resin-modified glass ionomer cements enhances their antimicrobial properties against S. mutans.

## Key findings

- Gold Label and Vitro Fill RMGICs with 11% RPEE showed significantly larger inhibition zones than their controls.
- Among RMGICs with 11% RPEE, Gold Label and Vitro Fill had greater antimicrobial activity than Ionolux.

## Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of resin-modified glass ionomer cements (RMGICs) supplemented with red propolis ethanolic extract (RPEE) against Streptococcus mutans cultures.

Four RMGICs (Gold Label, Ionolux, Vitro Fill, and Riva) were used with the addition of RPEE at concentrations of 11% and 20%. For the control groups, the cements were manipulated and light-cured according to the manufacturers’ instructions. S. mutans strains from stock cultures were grown in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth. Cement samples were placed in direct contact with the microorganism for 48 h in a bacteriological incubator. After this period, the diameters of the inhibition zones were measured using a digital caliper.

Data analysis showed a significant increase in the size of the inhibition zones for Gold Label and Vitro Fill RMGICs in the groups with 11% RPEE, compared to their respective controls. When comparing different cement brands containing 11% RPEE, Gold Label and Vitro Fill exhibited significantly larger inhibition zones than Ionolux.

The addition of 11% RPEE was shown to enhance the antimicrobial activity of two of the four tested RMGICs, with Gold Label and Vitro Fill demonstrating the greatest antimicrobial potential following supplementation with RPEE.