Sixty four medicinal plants belonging to 43 families were studied for their anticariogenic activity. 24 plant extracts derived from 20 plant species belonging to 19 families were identified as having some in-vitro antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans activity. The ethanolic extracts of Myrtus communis, Plumbago zeylanica, Rheum moorcroftianum, Buddleja paniculata, Tamarix dioica and Bauhinia purpurea exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 0.015 to 0.312 mg/ml and the bactericidal concentration ranging from 0.03 to 0.625mg/ml. The ethanolic extracts of other plants, Anethum graveolans, Holorrhena antidysenterica, Buddleia paniculata, Dioscorea bulbifera, Mallotus philippinensis, Quercus leucotriophera, Lawsonia inermis, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Punica granatum, Mimuspos elengi, Cayratia carnosa and Costus speciosus exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 0.78 to > 10mg/ml.
Anticariogenic, S. mutans, Myrtus communis, Plumabago zeylanica, Rheum and Buddleia
