In vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Dandelion Against Orodental Pathogens

Objective: To evaluate the anticariogenic effect of dandelion extract against different oral pathogenic clinical isolates. Methods: In the present study, we evaluated the antimicrobial effect of dandelion against oral pathogens by the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. Clinical isolates such as Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, Lactobacillus acidophilus were used to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of dandelion. Results: In this study, dandelion showed antibacterial activity against most of the oral microbes tested. In particular, dandelion shows high sensitivity against cariogenic microbes such as Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus salivarius. Conclusion: Taraxacum officinale suggested as a useful herb in order to control dental caries and endodontic infections. It can be better drug candidates to combine with regular antimicrobial agents. However, further studies are warranted on these lines to explore their exact mechanism of action against oral pathogens.