Evaluation of Antimicrobial Efficacy of Pudina (Menthaarvenis), Tulsi (Ocimumtenuiflorum) and Curry Leaves (Murrayakoenigii) on Streptococcus mutans by Modified Direct Contact Test- An In vitro Study

Abstract

Introduction: Dental caries is a pandemic disease caused by Streptococcus mutans. Numerous preventive strategies have been developed to prevent dental caries with modern medicines. Recently, there has been a shift from use of modern medicines to herbal ayurvedic preparations which are easily available and cause least possible side effects but have not been tested against S. mutans. Aim: To evaluate antimicrobial value of Pudina, Tulsi and Curry leaves against S. mutans by modified direct contact test. Materials and Methods: This in vitro study used finely powdered form of Pudina, Tulsi and Curry leaves extracts (Hakim Chi Chi Pharmacy, Surat, India) without any added preservatives. The test microorganism S. mutans was isolated from human saliva using mitis salivarius agar. The Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) was determined using agar well diffusion for Group 1 (Tulsi), Group 2 (Pudina), Group 3 (Curry leaves) and Group 4 (Chlorhexidine). Using this MIC, modified Direct Contact Test was performed for specific evaluation of the antimicrobial efficacy of each product. Chlorhexidine (0.2%) was used as a positive control for the comparison of each product. The results of modified direct contact test were subjected to ANOVA Test and Tukey’s Test using SPSS software version 23.0 which showed that when compared against chlorhexidine, the antimicrobial efficacy against S. mutans in decreasing order was of curry leaves, tulsi and pudina and the result of the study was significant. Results: Curry leaves showed higher antimicrobial efficacy than tulsi and pudina when compared against chlorhexidine (control) and the results were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Curry leaf extract shows promising antimicrobial property against S. mutans and can be recommended for caries control with further investigations.