Green tea, honey, black chocolate as antimicrobial agents for prevention of dental caries

Abstract

The World Health Organization emphasizes oral health, examines the impact of risk factors on the overall health of the body and quality of life. The prevalence pattern and severity of dental caries varies with geographical location, age, sex, economic status, food practice, and oral hygiene. Different microorganisms are responsible for causing dental caries. Obligately and facultatively anaerobic bacteria dominate the microbial community of dental caries and the most important agent of dental caries are Gram positive cocci Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus. Associated with caries also are Gram positive rods Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus acidophillus, Actinomyces odotolyticus, Actinomyces israelii, Gram negative cocci – Veillonella parvula, Nesseria spp., Gram negative rods – Bacteriodes denticola, Escherishia coli. Dental caries takes place when a tooth surface is colonised with microbes and food of sucrose or refined sugar. Fermentation of carbohydrates leads to the production of lactic acid by the action of bacteria which melts the hydroxyapatite crystal structure of the tooth which grounds caries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of green tea, honey, and black chocolate on different microorganisms. Assays of antibacterial activity were screened for their antibacterial activity, according to the agar well-diffusion method proposed by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The following green tea, honey, and black chocolate concentrations of 5–100% v/v were prepared in a sterile solution and evaluated at minimum inhibitory concentration against the bacterial strains. All products have antibacterial activity depending on the concentration. Results demonstrated that 45% ethanolic green tea extract had a 23–37 mm zone of inhibition against the most important agent of dental caries – microorganisms.