Production of herbal toothpaste using <em>Moringa </em>root essential oil extract

Abstract

In this study, antimicrobial toothpaste (dentifrice), which can compete with existing toothpaste, was produced using Moringa oleifera root essential oil extract. The oil extract 2 ml per 100 g obtained, gave peppermint flavor and was volatile. The phytochemical screening revealed a high concentration of flavonoid, a bioactive agent with antimicrobial activity in nature. 0.5 ml of the concentrate essential oil extract was used to produce 120 gm of a novel dentifrice. The antimicrobial activities of the novel herbal toothpaste were assessed against Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans which are microorganisms involved in tooth plaque, using Oral-B (pro-health), commercial toothpaste as a positive control. The antimicrobial potential of the novel toothpaste was evaluated by the muller Hinton agar well diffusion method against the selected bacteria. The novel toothpaste showed higher inhibitory activity against Streptococcus mutans (31 mm), Lactobacillus (33 mm), Staphylococcus aureus (16 mm), and Candida albicans (16 mm) while, the Oral-B positive control toothpaste showed inhibition against the bacteria; Streptococcus mutans (22 mm), Lactobacillus (28 mm), Staphylococcus aureus (12 mm) and Candida albicans (15 mm) respectively. From the result, it was shown that the Moringa root herbal toothpaste has high antimicrobial potential than Oral-B herbal toothpaste against tooth plaque. It can be recommended that further studies on sensory analysis of food and dentifrice products containing Moringa root essential oil be carried out to evaluate its acceptability and shelf life.