During our scheme of investigations, on some of the freshly collected volatile oils from indigenous plants, interesting antimicrobial responses, besides the antiwormal activity were observed. Thus efforts were made to study the antifungal, antibacterial and antiwormal responses separately of the oils.Six more oils were thus subjected to test-studies to evaluate their anti-bacterial activity. Some of these oils have been also subjected to their clinical trials in form of topical applications made out of them, which are tested on the approaching volunteer-patients having mild skin manifestations. The results are yet awaited for declaration. Meanwhile, invitro studies are also performed to visualise the general range of effectivity of these oils and the results are indicated in the subsequent text. Experimental WorkFreshly collected steam-distilled oils of Piper ctrbeba LINN. (Piperncene); Acorus calamus LINN. (Araceae); Litsea chinensis LAM. (Laurnceae); Colztbrina nsiatica BRONGN. (Rhnnznnceae); Hyptis suclveolerzs POIT. (Labiatae) and Blumen Iacinintn D.C. (Compositae) were subjected to antibncterial evaluations in,their original form and in 1:l combinations following the usual ,,filter paper disk diffusion plate method", so far employed by us successfully (JAIN and KAR, 1971; JAIN ~11ici JAIN, 1972; VINCENT and VINCENT, 1944) against active culttires of selected 15 testbacteriae.Standard Difco Nutrient Agar was used to make media for cultivation of cultures and to perform testings.The seeded plates were loaded with the sterilised dip-drained Whatman N o I filter papaer disks of 6 mm diameter. O n incubating the plates for 18 hours at37O C temperature thedevelopingzones of inhibition were measured and rechecked after further incubation for 14 hours, to see if any changes in response could be noted.The combinations of oils were also subjected to identical testings. Simultaneously, standard substances in their known concentrations were applied to the seeded plates to compare the resulting responses of test oils. Each experiment was repeated several times holding four, loadings at each plate till almost constant readings of zonal-measurements could be obtained. The average readings are represented in Tables I and 11. DiscussionAs is clear from the Table I, best responses were exhibited by all the oils against P. solanacearunz and C. diphtheriae. Although, S. typhi, S. fnecalis and Downloaded by: University of Pennsylvania Libraries. Copyrighted material.

Many volatile oils, present in the seeds, fruits and leaves of herbs, attribute remarkably antifungal properties. This fact evidently stresses the need of an extensive study on such medicinally effective volatile oils so as to reveal their efficacy against various types of pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms which are responsible for producing serious skin manifestations. A. plethora of freshly recovered essential oils under investigations have been found to possess marked antibacterial properties (J a i n und K a r , 1971).

BACKGROUND Moringa oleifera Lam is a plant found in Himalayan foothills. A large corpus of literature exists about moringa and its medicinal values. Various medicinal and health properties of moringa make it a part of various phytomedicinal preparation.It is used as a part of routine diet and has anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-hyperglycaemic and anti-tumour properties. It is also used in production of seed oil, fodder and medicine. It is highly useful as a nutritional supplement, in the management of various diseases and in the management of public health problems. Moringa oleifera Lam is an important part of South Indian diet. Its antibacterial properties were found to be effective against E. coli, Salmonella typhi and Shigella dysenteriae. Hence, it may be used as a low-cost material for water purifications in poor communities. This plant has significance in dental health due to its antimicrobial effect on bacteria present in dental plaque like Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans. There has been limited research on efficacy and safety of various Moringa oleifera (MO) extracts and parts in oral healthcare. MO has found its applications in various aspects of public health. As a plant with high nutritional value and relatively low cost, it has been endorsed as a plant with immense potential as for use as nutrient supplement in the parts of the world with widespread malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies. Further research needs to be conducted in the field of pharmacological management and prevention of oral disease. KEY WORDS Antimicrobial, Dental Diseases, Moringa oleifera, Streptococcus mutans.

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