In Situ Gel Containing Lippia sidoides Cham. Essential Oil for Microbial Control in the Oral Cavity

Surgical site infections in oral and maxillofacial interventions are often exacerbated by biofilm formation, and current antimicrobial treatments are hampered by issues such as resistance and adverse effects. This article aimed to develop, characterize, and evaluate the antimicrobial activity of <i>Lippia sidoides</i> Cham. essential oil (LSEO) gel composed of poloxamer (P) and chitosan (C). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified thymol as the major component of LSEO (71.04%). In situ P-gels containing LSEO (0.25-1.0%) were produced with and without C. The addition of C resulted in gels with nanometric particle sizes (263.8 ± 231 nm; PDI 0.39 ± 0.17) and a positive zeta potential (+4.81 ± 1.97 a + 8.19 ± 0.51 mV), exhibiting pseudoplastic behavior in rheological analysis. The sol-gel transition temperature (Tsol-gel) was found to be between 20 and 28 °C, with a transition time at 37 °C ranging from 18.76 ± 1.24 s to 46.46 ± 8.89 s. LSEO showed MIC values of 256, 128, and 128 µg/mL against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, <i>Escherichia coli</i>, and <i>Candida albicans</i>, respectively, while in situ LSEO gels presented MIC values above 5 µg/mL for all tested strains. Therefore, the developed gel containing LSEO showed promising application in dentistry, offering a potential new treatment perspective for surgical site infections in oral and maxillofacial surgery.