EFFICACY OF TOOTHPASTE PRODUCED FROM SELECTED HERBAL PLANTS IN CURING DENTAL CARIES

Abstract

The study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of toothpaste produced fron different herbal plant extracts on Streptococcus mutans, causative bacteria of dental caries. The herbal materials employed in this study were Azardirachta indica bark, Gmelina arborea (leaves and bark), Moringa oleifera (seed and leaves), Jathropha gossypifolia (latex), Jathropha curcas (latex) and Prosobis africana (bark). The barks were cut into pieces, washed under running water, and dried alongside with the seeds and leaves to a constant weight. Thereafter, the dried samples were pulverized. Two hundred grams (200 g) of each pulverized bark samples were extracted with 400 ml of absolute ethanol with the aid of orbital shaker for 3 days while the seeds, leaves and latex were used in their crude state. S. mutans was cultured from a decayed tooth extracted from a patient at the General Hospital in Akure by a dentist. Nine toothpaste formulations were made and tested on the cultured organism using agar well diffusion method. The herbal materials were made 90% base ingredients and 10% herbal plant materials. The formulations only varied by the type of herbal materials used. The zones of inhibitions were measured after 24 hours and 48 hours of incubation after 6 hour and 3 months of storage period. The inhibitory zones which were observed from the herbal plant formulations with different plant materials are as follows: P. africana bark, 18.50 mm; A.indica bark, 17.58 mm; G. arborea leaf, 17.00 mm; J. curcas latex, 16.83 mm; M. oleifera leaf, 16.67 mm; J. gossypifolia latex, 15.92 mm; G. arborea bark, 13.75 mm; mixture of all the herbs, 13.08 mm and M. oleifera seed, 12.33 mm. the formulation made with P. africana bark which gave the highest zone of inhibition was observed to have a minimum inhibitory concentration of 6.25 mg/l. after 3 months of storage, all the formulations were observed to inhibit the growth of S. mutans meaning retention of their potency after 3 months. Phytochemical analysis of the herbs was carried out using standard methods. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids, saponnins and flavonoids in all the plant materials, terpenoids was absent in the latex of J. gossypifolia and J. curcas and Tannin was absent in G. aborea bark. Steroid was absent in all the plant materials. It was discovered that the herbal toothpaste formulated still retained its efficacy after 3 month of storage.