Ethnopharmacological study, evaluation of antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activities of extracts from plants used in the management of dental caries: a comparative study.

Dental caries is a highly prevalent and costly biofilm-dependent disease that affects about 2.3 billion people in their permanent teeth and 532 million people in their primary teeth according to the World Health Organization. The condition is often accompanied by inflammation of the pulp and root apex. Given the high cost of dental procedures, and also the toxicity and antimicrobial resistance linked to antibiotic use, emphasis should be placed on prevention and alternative therapies. Hence, the present study was aimed at evaluating the ethnopharmacology of some plants used in the management of dental caries.Information on plant use, indications, and preparation methods was collected from participants (dental caries patients and traditional medicinal practioners) using the snowball/purposive sampling technique. Quantitative phytochemical analysis and evaluation of free radical scavenging (antioxidant) activity of hydroethanolic extracts were done using spectrophotometry. Anticariogenic activity was assessed in vitro using antibacterial broth microdilution and antibiofilm assays, while lytic and outer membrane permeability activities were also determined spectrophotometrically.Twenty participants reported the effectiveness of medicinal plants in the management of pulpitis, leading to the documentation of 14 plant species. Phytochemical analysis revealed varying concentrations of the assayed compounds. ET (Vitellaria paradoxa) had the highest total phenol content (142.57 ± 2.49 mg GAE/g), while total flavonoid and tannin contents were dominated by PB (Persea americana) (39.04 ± 2.31 mg QE/g) and EP (Euphorbia prostata) (18.46 ± 0.75 mg TAE/g) respectively. Antioxidant evaluation showed notable activities, with EP (Euphorbia prostrata) demonstrating the strongest DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ = 1.12 ± 0.11 µg/mL) and FRAP activity (135.03 ± 0.33 µmol FeSO₄/g), as well as concentration-dependent hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. ET (Vitellaria paradoxa) showed the highest antibacteial activities of 64 and 128 µg/ml respectively for MIC and MBC and also demonstrated the strongest antibiofilm activity, with inhibition and eradication rates of 92.72 ± 2.68% and 81.41 ± 0.08%, respectively. In addition, PB (Persea americana) showed the highest lytic activity while ET (Vitellaria paradoxa) produced the highest outer membrane permeability effect.Hydroethanolic extracts of plants in the present study showed good anticariogenic and antioxidant activities. The high phenolic contents could explain their use as anti-inflammatories. These findings suggest that the studied plants and their bioactive constituents may serve as potential sources of novel anticariogenic agents for the prevention and management of dental caries.