Evaluation of chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of Scrophularia striata essential oil on dental caries pathogens

Introduction: Oral diseases are among the most important worldwide infectious diseases. Due to drug resistance and the side effects of chemical drugs, the use of herbal medicines has increased. Scrophularia striata (S. striata) is a herbal flowering plant that is used in microbial infections. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of S. striata essential oil on dental carrier’s pathogens. Materials and Methods: In this study, S. striata essential oil was prepared and its antimicrobial activity was evaluated by disk diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) methods on dental caries pathogens Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus), Actinomyces viscosus (A. viscosus), and Candida albicans (C. albicans). Moreover, the chemical composition of S. striata essential oil was evaluated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. Results: Our results showed that the most antibacterial activity of S. striata essential oil was related to A. viscosus (22.9 mm), L. rhamnosus (21.7 mm), and S. mutans (16.9 mm) essential oil showed a low antifungal activity against C. albicans. The dominant chemical composition of S. striata essential oil was terpens (39.8%). Conclusion:  In general, S. striata essential oil has an appropriate antibacterial activity against oral pathogens. Therefore, it can be use in pharmaceutical industry to produce antimicrobial agents against dental caries and oral infectious diseases.