TITLE:
Antibacterial Activities of Psidium guajava (Guava) and Velvet tamarin (Icheku) Local Chewing Sticks on Streptococcus mutans Isolated from Human Mouth
AUTHORS:
I. A. Ojiuko, C. O. Anyamene, C. U. Ezebialu, A. P. Unamadu, C. S. Alisigwe
KEYWORDS:
Antibacterial Activity, Chewing Sticks, Psidium guajava (Guava), Velvet tamarin (Icheku), Streptococcus mutans
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Medical Microbiology,
Vol.11 No.2,
May
27,
2021
ABSTRACT: Globally dental diseases
are mainly caused by Streptococcus mutans, it is one of the leading causative agents of
dental caries worldwide, because of its resistance to conventional antibacterial agents, alternative therapies are used to
control resistance of oral pathogens. This research was done to determine the antibacterial
activities of Psidium guajava (guava)
and Velvet tamarin (Icheku) chewing
sticks on Streptococcus mutans isolated from the oral cavity. The study was conducted in Owerri Imo State
Nigeria during November-December period. Phytochemical analysis of the
plant extracts was done using appropriate techniques. The procedure used for
antimicrobial susceptibility test was disk diffusion method. Serial dilutions
of Psidium guajava (guava) and Velvet tamarind (Icheku) extracts were
prepared, Muller-Hinton media was used to put together the extract of serial
dilutions of Psidium guajava (guava)
and Velvet tamarin (Icheku) and a microbiological procedure
were used for visually determining the minimum inhibitory concentration as
well as minimum bactericidal concentration. Phytochemical evaluation of the
plants’ extracts revealed that it contains saponins, tannins, alkaloid, steriods,
glycosides and phenol. The results obtained from the antibacterial
susceptibility testing of the extracts against Streptococcus mutans showed that the zones of inhibition recorded
ranged from 18 mm to
27 mm.
Ethanol (Soxhlet) extract of Icheku twig
showed no zone of inhibition on the isolated organism. The ethanol
(soxhlet) extract of the individual Psidium
guajava (guava) and Velvet tamarin (Icheku) has a better antibacterial effect when compared to their aqueous
extracts and combined forms. Psidium
guajava (Guava) and Velvet tamarin (Icheku) twigs are made up of composite that is active against S. mutans and can be used in
oral hygiene. There is a need for further investigation on the plant extracts as the rural poor
make use of it because it is cheap, readily available and the rich also use it
once they are in the village mostly in Eastern Nigeria. Similarly chewing
sticks has been reported to be practiced by 90 of rural population in Nigeria.