title: Antibacterial activities of extracts from Ugandan medicinal plants used for oral care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medicinal plants are widely used for treatment of oral/dental diseases in Uganda.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate antibacterial activities of 16 commonly used medicinal plants on microorganisms associated with periodontal diseases (PD) and dental caries (DC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Pulp juice and solvent extracts (hexane, methanol and water) from the plants were tested against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia associated with PD and Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Lactobacillus acidophilus associated with DC. Tests were done using agar well-diffusion (pulp juice) and agar-dilution (Solvent extracts) assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pulp juice from Zanthoxylum chalybeum and Euclea latidens showed activity against all the bacteria, Zanthoxylum chalybeum being most active. Hexane extract from aerial part of Helichrysum odoratissimum was most active (MIC: 0.125-0.5 mg/ml). Methanol extract from leaves of Lantana trifolia showed activity against all bacteria (MIC: 0.25-1 mg/ml).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Several of the tested plants showed antibacterial activities against bacteria associated with PD and DC, meriting further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, School of Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda; Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072 Kampala, Uganda; Unit of Periodontology, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, P.O. Box, 4064, SE-141 04, Huddinge, Sweden. Electronic address: francis.ocheng@ki.se.
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ocheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072 Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Freddie
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bwanga
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072 Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Moses
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joloba
authors.affiliation: Ecological Chemistry Group, Department of Chemistry, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ann-Karin
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Borg-Karlson
authors.affiliation: Unit of Periodontology, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, P.O. Box, 4064, SE-141 04, Huddinge, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Celestino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Obua
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D014454:Uganda
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012997:Solvents