Background: Periodontitis is a multifaceted disease initiated by periodontal pathogens which when left untreated results in inflammation of the supporting tissues of the teeth, resorption of alveolar bone, loss of the periodontal ligament attachment, periodontal pocket formation and/or recession of the gingiva. Hence, the current study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of Momordica charantia leaves extract on Socransky’s periodontal pathogens and formulating a herbal gel for subgingival local drug delivery for the potential treatment of moderate periodontitis. Methods: M. charantia leaves were authenticated from a recognized taxonomist. They were coarsely powdered following which an ethanol-based extract preparation was done. The extract obtained was then assessed for minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration followed by gel formulation which was then subjected to time kill assay and zone of inhibition on periodontal pathogens, the efficacy of which was comparatively evaluated against 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) gluconate. Kruskal-Wallis Test was employed with the statistical significance set at p≤0.05. Results: The concentration of M. charantia ethanolic extract against periodontal pathogens was determined to be 1 gm/100 ml and a statistically significant difference was found in the effectiveness between the gel so formulated and CHX. Conclusion: The antibacterial activity was evident in the ethanolic extract of M. charantia which when used to formulate a herbal gel against anaerobic periodontal pathogens demonstrated efficacy comparable to that of CHX.
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