USE OF NEEM BARK AND KALONJI EXTRACT MOUTH WASH IN REDUCING PLAQUE INDEX; A CHALLENGE OR WAY FORWARD TO INCLUDE HERBAL COMPOUNDS IN COMMERCIAL USE

WAQAR-UN-NISA, ASMA ALI, TAYYABA MUMTAZ, SUGHRA ABID, RABIA INAM GANDAPORE, SAHAR KAMAL

Background: The antibacterial efficacy of neem bark and kalonji extract extends specifically to pathogenic bacteria implicated in common oral diseases. Among these, Streptococcus mutans plays a pivotal role in dental caries development due to its ability to adhere to tooth surfaces and produce acid that demineralizes enamel. Both neem and kalonji extracts have demonstrated significant inhibition of S. mutans growth and biofilm formation in vitro, thereby limiting cariogenic activity.

Objectives: To evaluate the antibacterial activity of both the extracts individually and in combination in comparison to commercially available mouth wash.

Methodology: It was a cross sectional study conducted in a tertiary care dental college of Karachi from June 2024 to August 2025. The powder of bark and kalonji was soaked into 70% ethanol with intermittent shaking for 5 days followed by rotary evaporation to get the extract. The extract was diluted in 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) which was reduced to further dilution of 1% for each extract. The 120 students were selected randomly for the study after taking their verbal consent and they were divided into 4 groups (30 participants per group). All the students were instructed to not brush their teeth for a night and in the morning plaque index was checked after that they were allowed to brush their teeth. The procedure was repeated for 3 nights and plaque index was evaluated. All the students were instructed to use the provided mouth wash immediately after the dinner (last meal of the day) and for three consecutive days plaque index was measured again. The data was compared as pre and post (before using mouth wash and after using mouth wash) by paired t test and, among the groups by ANOVA followed by post hoc analysis.

Results: The ANOVA analysis of plaque index first three (before intervention) readings showed insignificant results, among all the participants. The pre and post intervention analysis among all the groups showed a significant (p-value < 0.05) decrease in plaque index which was comparable to commercially available mouth wash.

Conclusion: The neem bark, kalonji extract alone and in combination reduced plaque index comparable to the chlorhexidine.