EVALUATION OF THE ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF HERBAL MOUTHWASHES ON MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM PATIENTS WITH DENTAL CARIES

Dental caries is a widespread oral health issue that can progress to serious complications if untreated. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-positive bacteria poses great challenge in dental infections. Herbal mouthwashes, containing natural bioactive compounds are been used against these resistant strains. This study evaluates the antibacterial activity of three herbal mouthwashes against multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria isolated from dental caries patients. Bacterial isolates were collected from 50 patients with active dental caries at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Standard microbiological methods, including Gram staining and biochemical tests, were used for bacterial identification. Thirteen multidrug-resistant bacteria were isolated. The antimicrobial susceptibility of herbal mouthwashes was assessed using agar well diffusion and Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion methods. Three herbal formulations X, Y and Z were tested against the resistant bacterial strains. The bacterial isolates used include Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. The percentage occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus was (83%) while Bacillus subtilis was (17%). The results showed positive control had inhibition zone diameter (IZD) of 14mm (25%), Herbal Mouthwash X, Y, Z and normal saline (negative control) had IZD of 13mm (23.2%), 14mm (25%), 15mm (27%) and 0mm (0%) respectively. Among the tested mouthwashes, Herbal Mouthwash Z, containing Thymus vulgaris and Sesamum indicum, demonstrated the highest antimicrobial efficacy, showing statistically significant inhibition zones against the resistant isolates. However, Herbal Mouthwashes X and Y exhibited moderate activity. The findings showed that Herbal Mouthwashes gave promising antimicrobial activity and could be further investigated for broader clinical applications.