Evaluation and Comparison of Antimicrobial Efficacy of Leaves and Roots Extract of Moringa Oleifera Plant against Periodontal Pathogens - An Invitro Study.

Abstract

Introduction:  Periodontitis is one of the main causes of tooth loss and is caused by various species of microorganisms Due to the increased incidence of resistance to conventional drugs used and their side effects, herbal medicines have turned out to be a popular form of therapy for both prophylaxis and treatment of various ailments. Moringa oleifera plant is a medicinal plant with multifarious ethnomedicinal uses to treat various ailments.Moringa has been proven effective as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent.

Objectives: This in vitro study was carried out to evaluate and compare the antimicrobial efficacy of leaf and root extract of Moringa oleifera against four strains of periodontal pathobionts namely T.forsythia, F.nucleatum, P.gingivalis,P.intermedia.

Method: The root and leaves extract were prepared using 95%ethanol by Maceration method of extraction.  Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of plant extracts were determined against each bacterium using thioglycolate broth through serial dilution method.

Result: All the test microorganisms were found to be sensitive to both leaf and root extracts. Ethanolic leaf extracts exhibited bactericidal activity against all except P.intermedia to which it was bacteriostatic. Root extract inhibited growth of the test microorganisms F.nucleatum. P.gingivalis and P.intermedia and was bactericidal to T.forsythia.

Conclusion:  Extracts of this easily available plant could be a possible source to obtain a new and effective herbal medicine in the treatment of periodontal diseases. The combination potentials of its extracts with commercially available antibiotics in the treatment of periodontitis holds a promising approach in future.