Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the therapeutic potential of plant extract against oral microorganisms in published literature. Material and Method: A systematic literature review was performed through electronic databases (Scopus, EBSCO: Dentistry and Oral Science Source) from January 2009 till December 2019 with the search terms (“extract” AND (“ORAL MICROORGANISM” OR “ORAL BACTERIA”) AND (“stem” OR “Bark” OR “Leaf”)). Results: Out of 409 articles, 21 articles met our inclusion criteria that were subjected to data extraction and review. The data disclosed antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of plant extracts against causative microorganisms of caries, periodontitis, endodontic infection, and fungal infection. Ethanol was the most common solvent used for plant extraction. The antimicrobial test was reported in all studies using different methodologies such as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), disk diffusion method, agar well method, intracanal irrigation, and Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Index (FICI) . None of the plant extract tested showed significant toxicity in five studies that conducted toxicity assays. Conclusion: A positive correlation was observed between plant extract and antimicrobial activity against oral microorganisms. In that context, integrating plant extract in oral healthcare products could be an option to enhance effective antimicrobial control. However, further clinical studies are required to provide clinical evidence to support these observations.

This study aimed to compare the different selected extraction methods of propolis extracts against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). Extraction of Malaysian Propolis (MP) from Heterotrigona itama, was carried out using 70% ethanol. For the selected extraction processes, such as, centrifugation-assisted extraction (CAE), vacuum-assisted extraction (VAE), and shaking-assisted extraction (SAE) methods were used. Antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis was assessed using the antibacterial susceptibility test (AST). The results showed that SAE, followed by CAE, had better antimicrobial properties as compared to those obtained by VAE. The inhibition zones for SAE, CAE, and VAE were 5.3mm, 4.67mm, and 4.16mm, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for extracted MP by SAE were 12.5 and 25 mg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, non-setting calcium hydroxide’s [Ca(OH)2] MIC and MBC were determined to be 50 and 100 mg/mL, respectively. As a result, we believe that extraction of raw MP from Heterotrigona itama using the SAE method was more effective than Ca(OH)2 against E. faecalis.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of dental anxiety and phobia among Malaysian medical and dental undergraduates of 2019. Materials and Methods: A validated Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear Scale (IDAF-4C+) questionnaires were distributed to medical and dental undergraduates in UiTM Sungai Buloh (n=460) via stratified random sampling. Demographic characteristics data were also collected. A cut point of 2.5 in average score for dental anxiety and fear (IDAF-4C) module was set to indicate the presence of dental anxiety. Descriptive statistics was used to determine the prevalence at while Pearson’s correlation was used to check its correlation towards related dental stimuli. The association of sociodemographic factors towards dental anxiety and fear were evaluated by logistic regression. Results: This study found that medical undergraduates reported higher prevalence of dental fear (25.6%) as compared to dental undergraduates (18.9%). The highest stimuli correlated to dental anxiety and fear is ‘feeling sick, queasy or disgusted’ (r=0.537) followed by ‘not being in control of what is happening’ (r=0.484).  Having unpleasant dental experience rose the likelihood of dental anxiety and fear by four times. Those from high-income family has 51.7% lower likelihood of dental anxiety and fear versus to those from low-income family. Conclusion: We conclude that dental anxiety is relatively prevalent even among medical and dental undergraduates in Malaysia. Feeling sick, queasy and disgusted are found to be the most correlated stimulus among medical undergraduates.

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