Effect of neem and betel leaf against oral bacteria
R Salam1,5*, JU Khokon2, S Baidya3 MT Mussa4
1Shanliss Road, Santry, Dublin-9, Ireland
2Department of Pharmacology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
3Choice Dental Care, Centre Bus Terminal, Rangpur, Bangladesh
4Department of Anatomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
5DMRF Dental Laboratory, Mirpur -1, Dhaka -1216, Bangladesh
ABSTRACT
The antimicrobial effect of neem (Azadirachta indica) and betel (Piper betel) leaf on oral bacteria were examined. The saliva samples were collected from 50 patients suffering from dental caries and gingivitis. The bacteria present in the samples were isolated and identified by morphological and biochemical characteristics. The isolated bacteria were subjected to antimicrobial assay by disc diffusion method against different concentrations of aqueous and methanol extract. Both aqueous and methanol extract showed inhibitory effect against the tested bacteria even at lower concentration. Methanol extract exhibited larger zones of inhibition against all the isolated organisms compared to aqueous extract. Betel leaves extracts showed more activity compared to neem leaves extracts. In conclusion it can be said that both neem and betel leaves have potent antimicrobial effect on oral bacteria that lead to infection in mouth or normally present in mouth. Thus these plant materials can be used for treatment of dental caries and gingivitis after detailed pharmacological investigation which will be safe and economically viable.
Key words: neem, betel leaves, oral bacteria
*Corresponding author. Tel.: + 353-862651655
E-mail address: resalatus@gmail.com (R Salam) Full Text (PDF)
