Level of Salivary Microorganisms after Consumption of Malaysian Tualang Honey: A Preliminary Study

There has been a marked increase in the number of studies about honey. However, it has been questionable whether honey is harmful to the teeth especially formation of dental caries. Dental caries is the most prevalent infectious disease worldwide. Objective: This study was conducted to assess the changes of salivary microorganisms after consumption of tualang honey (TH). Method: A total of 44 USIM dental students (male = 9, female = 35) who fulfilled the inclusion criteria participated in this experimental blinded crossover study. Criteria for subject selection were: subjects with no active caries, no history of antibiotic usage for the past 6 months, no history of antimicrobial mouthwash usage for the past 6 months, no orthodontic appliance worn, and healthy. In phase 1, participants in Group A were not given TH to consume whereas Group B consumed honey. After one month washout period, participants in Group A were given TH to consume and Group B . had excluded TH from consumption. Results: There was not a significant difference in the salivary bacterial count (CFU/mL) at baseline, Day 3, Day 7 and Day 14 during control phase. However, after consumption of tualang honey, the bacterial count was slightly decreased at Day 7, however, the difference was not statistically significant. The increase in CFU count on Day 3 and Day 14 was also not statistically significant. Conclusion: It can be concluded that two weeks consumption of tualang honey did not give any obvious negative effects on the bacterial count. However, further studies will be required to support these preliminary result.