Phytochemical Studies and Anticariogenic Activity of Some Folklore Plants for Dental Care

Oral diseases are a major health problem worldwide. The increasing failure of chemotherapeutics and antibiotics resistance exhibited by pathogenic micro-organisms has led to the screening of several medicinal plants for their anticariogenic activity (Indrani and Kalpesh in Asian Journal of Traditional Medicines 11:88–98, 2016) [1]. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anticariogenic activity of some folklore plants for dental health. Argemone mexicana, Pongamia pinnata, Solanum virginianum and Thevetia peruviana were tested against the bacteria that cause dental carries. Ethanolic extracts were prepared by maceration and soxhlet methods and they studied for phytoconstituents by chemical tests. A. mexicana seed extract produced greater zone of inhibition when compared other extracts. The MIC of A. mexicana seeds extract was found to be lower hence; it was decided to study the antimicrobial constituents of the A. mexicana extract by TLC-bio autography. Our findings of anticariogenic activity on the plant extracts against selected bacteria and phytochemical analysis revealed that these plants possess antimicrobial substances.