Abstract
In this study, we evaluated the antibacterial activities of the essential oils (EOs) of Thymus serrulatus and Thymus schimperi collected from Ofla (Ofl), Alamata (Ala), Yilmana Densa (Yil), Tarmaer (Tar), Butajira (Buta), and Bale (Bal) in Ethiopia against cariogenic bacteria (Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus) isolated from human teeth. Inhibition zones (IZs), minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were measures of the antibacterial activity. Significant bacterial inhibitions resulted in a dose-and EO-dependent manner. At 128 μl/mL, IZs against S. mutans were 37.33 mm (Tar), 36.00 mm (Bal), 33.67 mm (Yil), 33.33 mm (Ofl), 30.00 (Ala), and 29.67 mm (Buta) and IZs against Lactobacillus were 31.00 mm (Tar), 30.67 mm (Yil), 27.67 (Bal), 27.00 (Buta), 26.67 (Ofl), and 21.33 (Ala). The respective inhibition zones due to 3% DMSO (negative control) and 3% H2O2 (positive control) were 0.00 mm/30.00 mm against S. mutans and 0.00 mm/29.00 mm against Lactobacillus. At 128 μl/mL dose, all the EOs resulted in significantly higher inhibition zones than that of 3% H2O2 against S. mutans and Lactobacillus.
Highlights
Dental caries is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases of man [1]
We evaluated the antibacterial activities of the essential oils (EOs) of Thymus serrulatus and Thymus schimperi collected from Ofla (Ofl), Alamata (Ala), Yilmana Densa (Yil), Tarmaer (Tar), Butajira (Buta), and Bale (Bal) in Ethiopia against cariogenic bacteria (Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus) isolated from human teeth
Specific permission was not required for the collection and investigation of the mentioned plants.The Thymus species were identified by Mr Melaku Wondafrash, a botanist working in the National Herbarium of Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and voucher specimens were deposited in the Herbarium
Summary
Dental caries is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases of man [1]. It is a biofilm-mediated, sugar-driven, multifactorial, dynamic disease that results in the phasic demineralization and remineralization of dental hard tissues [2]. Reports show that there is a marked global increase in the prevalence of dental caries [4]. Dental caries is a chronic endogenic multifactorial bacterial infection with gram-positive mutans Streptococci and Lactobacilli long being recognized as the primary cariogenic organisms [5]. Key organisms which cause dental caries include Streptococcus species (S. sanguinis, S. mitis and S. crista), Lactobacillus species (L. gasseri, L. fermentum, and L. salivarius), Fusobacterium, Bacteroides, Porphyromonas, Prevotella, Neisseria, Veillonella, Corynebacterium, Actinomyces, and Treponema species [6]
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