Antibacterial screening of Phoenix dactylifera L. (Date palm) seed extracts on some bacterial isolates associated with dental caries

Abstract

Dental diseases refer to conditions of deterioration and disintegration of the oral cavity due to the activities of pathogenic microbes. This study was carried out to determine the antibacterial activity of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Phoenix dactylifera L. (Date palm) seed on selected bacteria isolates associated with dental caries namely Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus casei. Bioactive components of the seed were extracted using water and ethanol as solvents. The antibacterial activity of the extracts was examined by agar well diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC) were also determined using standard methods. All extracts were active against the tested isolates at the concentrations examined. L. casei was the most susceptible organism followed by S. mutans. S. aureus was the least susceptible. Ethanolic extract was more effective than aqueous extract at all the concentrations tested in the study. The MIC of aqueous and ethanolic extracts was 20 mg/ml while the MBC was 80 mg/ml respectively against all the bacterial isolates tested. It can be concluded that the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the seed possess antibacterial potential against all the test organisms and could be useful in treatment of dental diseases and other related diseases caused by the bacteria isolates tested in the study.