Pomegranate juice on dental plaque microorganisms.

Sir,

A recent report on pomegranate juice on dental plaque microorganisms is interesting.[1] Kote et al. concluded that “pomegranate rinse was effective against dental plaque microorganisms.[1]” To use pomegranate juice in real clinical practice, there are other considerations also. Primarily, the clean juice preparation process is crucial. Even though juice has antibacterial activity, if it is contaminated with pathogenic organisms, it would be problematic.[2] There are always possibilities on contamination if there is no good hygenie or processing followed. Pathogens from hands can contaminate the pomegranate fruit during handling. A recent report indicated that human norovirus could contaminate in pomegranate juice and survive at refrigeration.[3] Nevertheless, the adding of the additives (such as sugar) into the juice must be controlled/monitored. Although pomegranate is the fruit that has the hypoglycemic property, there are considerable amount of sugar detectable within the pomegranate's flesh.[4] Finally, the pomegranate allergy is already mentioned in the literature.[5] Practitioner should also keep these factors in mind before use in clinical practice.