Mineraloterapia e odontologia: capacidade tampão e ação bacteriostática e fungistática da silvita sobre microorganismos do meio ambiente bucal

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The scientific works that deal with the applications and uses of natural therapies in the scope of Dental Science focus, almost exclusively, on the potential arising from the management of medicinal plants and products of phytotherapeutic origin, both components from ethnobotany. However, it is observed in the set of popular medicinal practices the administration of mineral substances that have legitimate bioactive potential. OBJECTIVE: In view of these findings, we intend to analyze and determine the buffering capacity, the bacteriostatic, fungistatic action of Silvita, a potentially bioactive mineral, on microorganisms in the oral environment. METHODOLOGY: In vitro assays were used to evaluate the bacteriostatic action of Silvita decoction on microorganisms in the oral environment. For this, it was necessary to cultivate bacterial strains of Streptococcus mutans, S. mitis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans in Petri dishes. It is noteworthy that each test was performed in duplicate, with the respective positive control, whose bacteriostatic and fungistatic action was measured in millimeters from the inhibition halos formed. The results were systematized from the Simple Arithmetic Mean, available in tables. A Cortex Kasvi pH electrode was also used, through which the hydrogen potential (pH) of the Silvita decoction was measured, alone and mixed with saliva and then with hydrochloric acid, to determine whether Silvita had a buffering action on this acid. RESULTS: From this, it was found that Silvita has an inhibitory antimicrobial action on S. mutans, S. mitis, S. aureus, E. faecalis strains and fungistatic action on C. albicans. It was also observed that Silvita has an acidic pH, but that it exerted a discrete buffering action on hydrochloric acid (HCl). CONCLUSION: Silvita has a bacteriostatic action on the investigated strains, but studies on other species, as well as on biofilms – monospecies and multispecies – are needed to assess the cytotoxicity of this substance. It is pointed out that Silvita has a pH characterized as acid, which demands the development of research that seeks to find a chemical agent capable of improving its buffering capacity.