Abstract
Objective: The aim is to estimate the effect of curcumin and rosemary as antibacterial agents among dental caries cases.
 Methods: Samples of saliva were randomly collected from 40 patients in Al-Furat General Hospital who attended the hospital from July to September 2018. Swabs were cultured on blood agar at 37°C for 24 h and then subcultured in mannitol salt agar and trypticase soy broth at 37°C for 24 h. Different concentrations of aqueous extract curcumin solution (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 mg/ml) and rosemary solution (1 g/ml) were prepared and added to the bacterial culture. Later, minimum inhibition zones of the bacterial cultures were determined.
 Results: The results showed that there were 25 cases of Streptococcus mutans, 10 cases of Staphylococcus aureus, 3 cases of anaerobic bacteria, and 2 cases of normal flora among 40 culturing swabs of bacteria. Aqueous extract of curcumin showed antibacterial effect with concentrations (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 mg/ml) against oral bacteria; nevertheless, these bacteria were resistant to the aqueous extract of rosemary with concentration 1 g/ml.
 Conclusion: It can be concluded that curcumin can be an effective antibacterial agent against dental caries disease and its effect increases positively in relation to its concentration. On the other hand, rosemary with 1 g/ml concentration did not show any effect on oral bacteria.
Highlights
Teeth caries and cavities are the major forms of mouth health problem approximately 36% of the population worldwide have dental caries in their permanent teeth [1]
According to the effects of curcumin concentrations on bacterial growth, it has been found that the inhibition zone diameter of bacterial growth increases with increase in the curcumin concentration (Fig. 3)
The rosemary did not show any effect on the bacterial growth with the concentration 1 g/ml
Summary
Teeth caries and cavities are the major forms of mouth health problem approximately 36% of the population worldwide have dental caries in their permanent teeth [1]. Streptococcus mutans is a pathogen bacterium associated with dental caries and cavities. S. mutans bacteria form a colony on teeth surface as dental plaque and convert extracellular polysaccharide to lactic acid through fermentation and eventually caused teeth caries [2,3]. Turmeric (the common name of curcumin) is cultivated in India and other parts of Southeast Asia. It has a long history used as an antiinflammatory in Ayurvedic medicine [6]. Curcumin can be applied in the dental field as in dental pain by massaging the aching teeth, mouthwash, periodontal problem by topical application, subgingival irritant, scaling, and root planning [19,20,21,22]
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