ALTERATION IN SALIVARY pH AND VIABILITY OF Streptococcus mutans BEFORE AND AFTER CHEWING TULSI (Ocimum sanctum) AND BETEL (Piper betle) LEAVES

Background: Dental caries is the most common non-communicable disease worldwide and it occurs due to interaction of host, agent and environmental factors. Host factors includes salivary pH, composition, tooth morphology etc. The most common commensal that is associated with dental caries are S. mutans and lactobacillus. The primary treatment for dental caries involves removal of the carious lesion and filling with a restorable material which is costly and puts a financial burden. This brings attention to alternative preventable and treatment options that are economical, safe, and effective.

Aim: To assess the alteration in the salivary pH and viability of Streptococcus mutans before and after chewing betel and tulsi leaves.

Materials and Materials: The study was carried out on 30 patients. Two samples were collected per patient, one before(sample 1) and one after chewing tulsi and betel leaves (sample 2), respectively. The change in pH and viability of S. mutans was assessed. The obtained data was exported to excel and later in SPSS software and the paired t-test was done with statistical significance set at p<0.05.

Results: The results obtained from the study showed a statistically significant change in the pH of the samples, where the mean pH of sample 1 was 7 and that of sample 2 was 6.6 (p> 0.05, statistically significant). Also, there was a statistically significant decrease in the colony count of S.mutans after chewing Tulsi and Betel leaves and the mean colonies produced before chewing (sample 1) was 60 CFU and that after chewing Tulsi and Betel leaves (sample 2) was 43 CFU (p>0.05, statistically significant).

Conclusion: Within the limits of the study, the results obtained showed a statistical difference in both salivary pH and viability of S. mutans before and after chewing Tulsi and Betel leaves. There was a decrease in the pH and increased antibacterial activity after chewing Tulsi and Betel leaves. Seeing the potentials of Tulsi and Betel leaves, employment of these can be taken into consideration for the prevention of dental caries.