ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF LEAVES OF FICUS BENGHALENSIS AGAINST ISOLATED DENTAL PATHOGENS

Dental caries is considered one of the major oral health issues throughout the world. Synthetic drugs and antibiotics have major side effects and can develop resistance. Ficus benghalensis F. benghalensis is a plant with enormous established pharmaceutical properties. The present study was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of water, and ethanolic extracts of F. Benghalensis leaves against human dental pathogens. The isolated dental pathogens are Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Candida albicans. The cup plate method was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of water, and ethanolic extracts of F. benghalensis leaves against the isolated microbes. Data were analyzed in one-way variance analysis. The water extract of F. benghalensis leaves was active against Klebsiella pneumonia and Candida albicans. The ethanolic extract of F. benghalensis leaves was active against all the Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus, Klebsiella pneumonia and Candida albicans. Since both the water and ethanolic extracts of F. benghalensis leaves shows maximum antimicrobial activity against Klebsiella pneumonia with a diameter of inhibition zones 20 mm and 23 mm respectively, it was used to obtain MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values. Five different concentration (100, 50, 25, 12.5, 6.25 mg/ml was tested against the water and ethanolic extracts of F. benghalensis for its MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values. The antimicrobial activity of water and ethanolic extracts of F. benghalensis shows it is highly significant against Klebsiella pneumonia. Further antimicrobial and pharmaceutics studies are required to evaluate the safety, and therapeutic efficacy of F. benghalensis leaves in combating dental caries.