Prevalence of Candida albicans in patients using fixed orthodontic appliances after the use of peppermint

This study was conducted to evaluate the antifungal effect of peppermint extract as mouth rinse during orthodontic treatment. Thirty patients (11 males and 19 females) who wear orthodontic appliances and instructed to use chlorhexidine as mouth rinse (8 patients); Mentha piperita extract (10 patients) or left to care of their teeth without any mouth rinse (12 patients); mean number of Candida albicans colonies recovered from anterior surface at three intervals (Time 0: Before wearing the appliance; time 1: After 7 days and time 2: After 1 month) was 48.8, 144.3, 158.9 for the control group; 132.9, 125.4, 147.9 for the peppermint group and 72, 105.8 and 130.8 for the chlorhexidine group. The mean number of Candida albicans colonies from the posterior surface at the different intervals was 87.4, 136.8, 159.5; 121.3, 84, 34.6 and 78.5, 91.25, 91 for control, peppermint and chlorhexidine groups respectively. The use of the peppermint extract decreases the number of Candida albicans significantly at the posterior surfaces