Efektivitas Obat Kumur Ekstrak Kulit Buah Delima (Punica granatum L.) dalam Menghambat Pembentukan Biofilm Fusobacterium nucleatum secara In Vitro

Abstract

Periodontal disease remains a major oral health problem with high prevalence and is closely associated with the formation of pathogenic bacterial biofilms. Fusobacterium nucleatum is one of the key bacteria that acts as a bridging organism in dental plaque biofilm formation. Plaque control is generally carried out using mechanical and chemical approaches; however, long-term use of chemical agents such as chlorhexidine may cause undesirable side effects. The development of safer natural-based agents represents a promising alternative, including the use of pomegranate peel extract (Punica granatum L.). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a mouthwash containing pomegranate peel extract in inhibiting the biofilm formation of Fusobacterium nucleatum in vitro and to determine the most effective concentration. This research employed a laboratory experimental design using a post-test only control group design. The test organism was Fusobacterium nucleatum. The mouthwash formulations consisted of pomegranate peel extract at concentrations of 6.25%, 12.5%, and 25%, with 0.2% chlorhexidine as the positive control and sterile distilled water as the negative control. The antibiofilm activity was evaluated using the microtiter plate method with crystal violet staining, and the Optical Density values were measured at a wavelength of 490 nm. The results showed a statistically significant difference among the treatment groups (p < 0.05). The percentage of biofilm inhibition increased with higher extract concentrations, reaching 5.57% at 6.25%, 48.52% at 12.5%, and 65.90% at 25%. The 25% concentration demonstrated the highest inhibitory effect and produced results closest to the positive control. It can be concluded that the pomegranate peel extract mouthwash is effective in inhibiting the biofilm formation of Fusobacterium nucleatum in vitro, with the 25% concentration showing the most potential to be developed as a herbal-based mouthwash.