Antibacterial Effect of Salvadora persica Extract on Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Gingivitis Patients
- Babylon university, College of Medicine, Medical Microbiology Department, Al Hillah ,Iraq
- Islamic University, Babylon, Medical Laboratory Techniques Department, Al Hillah, Iraq
- University of Babylon, Hamurabi Medical College, Medical Microbiology Department, Al Hillah, Iraq
- Received
- Published
Abstract
Salvadora persica (miswak) is traditionally used as a natural oral hygiene tool. This study investigates the antibacterial activity of hot aqueous miswak extract against Staphylococcus aureus isolated from patients with gingivitis. Fifty samples were collected from patients diagnosed with gingivitis at a primary health center in Babylon Governorate between January and June 2025. Bacterial isolates were identified using standard microbiological methods. Miswak extract was prepared in concentrations of 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%. The antimicrobial activity was assessed using the agar well diffusion method and compared with conventional antibiotics: vancomycin, carbenicillin, and piperacillin. The Staphylococcus aureus isolates were gotten, 4 isolates from males (26.66%) and 11 isolates from females (73.33%). There was no significant difference between the infection rate of bacterial isolates and the use of miswak (P=0.37), the occurrence of bleeding in the gums (P=0.36), and smoking (P=0.37). The miswak extract at a concentration of (50%) showed a greater effect than the other concentrations, as the inhibition zone was (9.86) mm with highly significant differences at the probability level concentrations of extract. (P<0.05), in addition to the presence of significant differences between the effect of Miswak at concentrations (30%, 40%, 50%) and the sensitivity of the isolates to vancomycin, Pipracillin and carbenicillin. This study was limited by its small sample size, single-center design, and possible variability in miswak chemical composition due to plant source and storage conditions. Future multi-center studies with larger populations are recommended. The higher the concentration of the aqueous extract of Miswak, the greater the effect on Staphylococcus aureus isolated from gingivitis compared to some types of antibiotics.
References
- 1. Marsh, P.D.; Lewis, M.A.O. Oral Microbiology, 6th ed.; Churchill Livingstone: London, UK, 2016; pp. 1–272.
- 2. Abdellatif, H.M.; Hebbal, M.; Alsagob, E.; Alsaleh, A.; Mwena, A.; Almusaad, M.; Aljehani, N.; Allhidaan, S.; Alreshaidan, S.W. Comparative effectiveness of miswak and toothbrushing on dental plaque and gingivitis: A randomized controlled trial. Healthcare 2024, 12(21), 2150.
- 3. Darout, I.A.; Skaug, N. Comparative oral health status of an adult Sudanese population using miswak or toothbrush regularly. Saudi Dent. J. 2004, 16(1), 29–38.
- 4. Almas, K. The antimicrobial effects of seven different types of Asian chewing sticks. Odonto-Stomatol. Trop. 2001, 96, 17–20.
- 5. Al-Sadhan, R.; Almas, K. Miswak (chewing stick) and scientific heritage. Saudi Dent. J. 1999, 11(2), 80–87.
- 6. Poureslami, H.R.; Makarem, A.; Mojab, F. Paraclinical effects of miswak extract on dental plaque. Dent. Res. J. (Isfahan) 2007, 4(2), 106–110.
- 7. Darout, I.A.; Christy, A.A.; Skaug, N. Identification and quantification of some potentially antimicrobial anionic components in miswak extract. Indian J. Pharmacol. 2000, 32, 11–14.
- 8. Mun, Y.S.; Hwang, Y.J. Novel spa and multi-locus sequence types (MLST) of Staphylococcus aureus samples isolated from clinical specimens in Korea. Antibiotics 2019, 8, 202.
- 9. Alibi, S.; Crespo, D.; Navas, J. Plant-derivatives small molecules with antibacterial activity. Antibiotics 2021, 10, 231.
- 10. Balto, H.A.; Al-Kattan, R.; Al-Hadlaq, S.M.; Al-Omran, T. Cytotoxicity of Salvadora persica extracts on human gingival fibroblasts. Saudi Dent. J. 2017, 29(1), 7–14.
- 11. Haque, M.M.; Alsareii, S.A. A review of the therapeutic effects of using miswak (Salvadora persica) on oral health. Saudi Med. J. 2015, 36(5), 530–543.
- 12. Guadie, A.; Dakone, D.; Unbushe, D.; Wang, A.; Xia, S. Antibacterial activity of selected medicinal plants used by traditional healers in Genta Meyche (Southern Ethiopia) for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. J. Herb. Med. 2020, 21, 100322.
- 13. Sofrata, A. Salvadora persica (Miswak): An effective way of killing oral pathogens. PhD Thesis, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, 2010. Available online: https://hdl.handle.net/10616/39923 (accessed on 14 June 2025).
- 14. Al-Bayati, F.A.; Sulaiman, K.D. In vitro antimicrobial activity of Salvadora persica against some isolated oral pathogens in Iraq. Turk. J. Biol. 2008, 32, 57–62.
- 15. Eid, M.A.; Selim, H.A.; Al-Shammery, A.R. The relationship between chewing sticks (miswak) and periodontal health. Part I: Review of the literature and profile of the subjects. Quintessence Int. 1990, 21, 913–917.
- 16. Halawany, H.S. A review on miswak (Salvadora persica) and its effect on various aspects of oral health. Saudi Dent. J. 2012, 24(2), 63–69.
- 17. Ahsan, A.; Khalid, A. Miswak and oral health: An evidence-based review. Saudi J. Biol. Sci. 2020, 27, 1801–1810.