Brenda B. Baguitan | Thea Amira A. Corpuz | Decere Joy M. Fang
Eduardo S. Ibañez Jr. | Socette Joy M. Orduña
Frenzel Mariz H. Solomon
School of Dentistry
Dr. Maria Lourdes E. Cantor, Adviser
ABSTRACT
Current reports show that dental caries is the most common chronic dental disease and has markedly increased in its prevalence. Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay is caused by the breakdown of tooth enamel as a result of bacterial activity. Streptococcus mutans is a major contributor of tooth decay. Malunggay and ampalaya have been used as folkloric cure for generations and have now been proven to have antimicrobial effects. Honey is also proven to have antimicrobial properties. The researchers aimed to find out if the combination of malunggay-ampalaya extract combined with honey would be effective as an antimicrobial on Streptococcus mutans. The target bacteria was cultured and isolated in the clinical laboratory. The effectiveness of the extract combined with honey was tested through zone of inhibition. After two trials, all the three plates showed high susceptibility which means that the malunggay-ampalaya with honey extract is effective against S. mutans.
Key words: Apalaya, malunggay, honey, Streptococcus mutans, zone of inhibition
