• Evaluation of the effect of aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra and Echinophora cinerea on the tooth decay agent
  • Romina Roshan Del,1 Arefeh Arazm,2 Asma Kheneifar,3 Asal Khaleghi Nasab,4 Mahdieh Mehrab Mohseni,5,*
    1. Farzanegan Jounior High School
    2. Farzanegan Jounior High School
    3. Farzanegan Jounior High School
    4. Farzanegan Jounior High School
    5. National Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB)


  • Introduction: Oral infections and tooth decay are still considered as one of the most important health problems, especially in developing countries. Glycyrrhiza glabra and Echinophora cinerea extracts contain medicinal herbal compounds that have the ability to suppress pathogens associated with tooth decay. The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial effect of the mentioned plants on Streptococcus mutans.
  • Methods: In this experimental study, the hot extraction method was utilized for Glycyrrhiza glabra and Echinophora cinerea root extractions. The extracts were analyzed by broth microdilution method to find the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of aqueous extracts on Streptococcus mutans to compare antibacterial effects.
  • Results: MIC of Glycyrrhiza glabra and Echinophora cinerea aqueous extracts for Streptococcus mutans was 1.95 and 3.91 mg/ml and their MBC was 3.91 and 7.81 mg/ml, respectively.
  • Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra root and Echinophora cinerea have significant antibacterial effects against Streptococcus mutans, but the aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra root has significantly stronger antibacterial effect compared to aqueous extract of Echinophora cinerea on Streptococcus bacteria.
  • Keywords: Tooth Decay, Streptococcus mutans, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Echinophora cinerea, Antibacterial effect