Lipstick Application And Its Effect On Oral Microflora And Salivary Ph: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Iraqi Women; A Preliminary Analysis

Abstract

Background: lipstick is cosmetic products that applied directly to the lips, come into continuous contact with the oral cavity and may therefore influence its resident microbial community and local biochemical environment. The microbiological consequences of habitual lipstick use on the oral flora, and its potential effect on salivary pH, remain insufficiently studied, particularly in Iraq.

Aim of the study: the present study aimed to examine the effect of lipstick application on the salivary PH and the oral microflora in a sample of Iraqi women

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on thirty-nine women, randomly recruited from three different Iraqi public institutions and divided into lipstick-applicant (n=30) and non-applicant (n=9) groups. Tongue swabs were cultured on nutrient agar, and bacterial isolates were identified phenotypically and confirmed using the Vitek 2 Compact system. Salivary pH was measured on fasting, undiluted saliva samples using pH indicator paper.

Results: A valid bacterial identification was obtained in 28 of the 39 samples (71.8%); of these, 21 isolates (75.0%) were classified as pathogenic bacteria and 7 (25.0%) as normal oral flora. Sixteen different bacterial genera/species were identified, the most frequent being Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (5/28, 17.9%), Kocuriakristinae and Sphingomonaspaucimobilis (4/28 each, 14.3%). The proportion of pathogenic versus normal-flora isolates was essentially identical between lipstick-applicant and non-applicant women (75.0% vs 75.0% pathogenic; χ²=0.00, df=1, p=1.00). Salivary pH values across identified samples ranged from approximately 6.6 to 7.6, consistent with a near-neutral oral environment.

Conclusion: Lipstick application was not associated with a difference in the pathogenicity profile of the cultivable oral (tongue) microflora in this sample of Iraqi women, and salivary pH remained within the physiological neutrophilic range in both groups.