Dental caries is an infectious and transmissible disease caused by the colonization of tooth surfaces
by normal oral flora, including
Streptococcus
and
Lactobacillus
species. Routine use of broad spectrum antibiotics in
the treatment of dental caries including postoperative prophylactic use, has led to widespread bacteria resistance to
antibiotics, a situation that currently pose a global threat to public health.
Spilanthes oleracea, popularly known as the
toothache plant, is widely used for the treatment of toothache, sore throat and gum infections. Although a large
number of antimicrobial effects have been reported against gram positive and gram negative species, only a small
number of
S.oleracea have been studied for biochemical activity. The crude extracts of
S. oleracea showed very
potent antimicrobial activity against a population of isolated pathogenic oral organisms. 20mg/ml each of crude
methanol and dichloromethane extracts of
S. oleracea leaves produced average zones of inhibition ranging between
21mm and 29mm (in diameter) against isolated
Streptococcus mutans
and
Lactobacillus species, while 20mg/ml of
crude methanol extracts of
S. oleracea flowers produced average zones of inhibition of 28mm and 25mm (in
diameter) against
S. mutans and
Lactobacillus species respectively. Findings indicate that polar and non-polar
extracts of
S. oleracea could potentially function as an alternative to synthetic antibiotics in the treatment of oral
infections and dental caries.
