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Dental caries is an oral health problem associated with the activity of Streptococcus mutans. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) contains bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, and alkaloids with antibacterial potential. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of water hyacinth extract against the growth of Streptococcus mutans. The research method used was an in vitro experimental study with a post test only group design. A total of 24 samples were divided into four treatment groups with extract concentrations of 6.25%, 12.5%, 25%, and 50%. Antibacterial activity was tested using the disc diffusion method on Mueller Hinton Agar media. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. The results showed that water hyacinth extract inhibited the growth of Streptococcus mutans. The largest inhibition zone was observed at 50% concentration, while the smallest was found at 6.25% concentration. Kruskal-Wallis analysis showed significant differences among groups (p<0.05). In conclusion, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) extract has antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans.

The increasing incidence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become one of the major challenges in global health, necessitating the exploration of natural antibacterial sources as alternative treatments, such as bioactive compounds derived from sea urchins. This literature review aims to evaluate the antibacterial potential of sea urchin extracts based on existing research findings. The literature search was conducted using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases using the Boolean operators (AND, OR). Inclusion criteria include articles published between 2014 and 2024, available in full text, written in either Indonesian or English, and discussing the antibacterial activity of sea urchin extracts from the species Diadema setosum and/or Echinometra mathaei. Based on the selection process, eight articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The results of the literature review indicate that sea urchin extracts exhibit antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella flexneri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aeromonas hydrophila, Acinetobacter sp., Citrobacter freundii, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, as well as gram-positive bacteria, including Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus sobrinus. These antibacterial effects are attributed to the presence of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids, saponins, and phenolics.

Dental caries is one of the most common dental health problems worldwide, caused by bacterial activity in the mouth, notably Streptococcus mutans. This bacterium plays a crucial role in tooth demineralization, ultimately leading to tooth decay. The management of dental caries is typically performed through medical procedures, such as dental fillings; however, this method does not prevent the recurrence of caries. One alternative that has gained attention is the use of herbal plants. This article explores using herbal plants as an alternative inhibitor of Streptococcus mutans bacteria in treating dental caries. The writing of this article employs a narrative analysis approach by collecting secondary data from various previous studies. The exploration results show that 33 herbal plants are used as therapies for addressing dental caries, with five plants being the most commonly used: betel leaf, Lantana camara, lime, celery, and ginger. Using herbal plants to inhibit Streptococcus mutans offers promising potential for developing more natural, safe, and affordable treatment methods.    

Halitosis, or bad breath, is a multifactorial condition that is often caused by anaerobic bacterial activity in the oral cavity, especially on the dorsum surface of the tongue. The use of natural ingredients as an alternative halitosis treatment is a concern, one of which is the nutmeg plant (Myristica fragrans), which has various active compounds such as essential oils, saponins, flavonoids, and alkaloids. This study aims to assess the potential of nutmeg plants in inhibiting the growth of bacteria that cause halitosis through a literature review of 30 national and international journals within the last five years. The results showed that nutmeg extracts, both from seeds, pulp, and leaves, have antibacterial activity against various types of halitosis-causing bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. This activity is obtained through the mechanism of cell membrane damage and inhibition of bacterial cell wall synthesis by bioactive compounds in nutmeg plants. Therefore, nutmeg has potential as a natural antibacterial agent in the management of halitosis.  

Caries is caused by microbial activity of a fermented carbohydrate. The results of Basic Health Research (RISKESDAS) state that the largest proportion of dental problems in Indonesia are damaged/cavities/sick teeth (45.3%). Preventive efforts gargling mouthwash contains antibacterial, long-term use has side effects, so we need herbal ingredients that have antibacterial properties, one of which is celery leaves. This study aims to prove the potential of celery leaf extract (Apium graveolens L.) as a mouthwash ingredient in inhibiting the growth of caries-causing bacteria and being able to reduce the number of bacterial colonies compared to formulary controls without active ingredients. This type of research used laboratory and field experiments with pretest-posttest consisting of the intervention group of celery leaf extract mouthwash formulation concentrations of 30%, 15% and control formulary without active ingredients, the sample consisted of 39 people, the sample was rinsed for 1 minute. Saliva collection before and after gargling. The variables studied the inhibition of bacteria. The results of the inhibition of Streptococcus mutans bacteria carried out by the ANOVA test at a concentration of 15% showed a mean of 5 mm and a concentration of 30% with a mean of 6.2 mm with a p-value of 0.000 which means that there was a significant difference in inhibiting Streptococcus mutans bacteria, while the control had a mean of 0. 0 mm which means there is no resistance formed. The conclusion of this study is that giving celery leaf extract mouthwash Calculate the inhibition zone with a concentration of 15%, 30% being able to inhibit bacteria while the control has no inhibition on Streptococcus mutans bacteria.

Squid ink and seaweed have the potential to be utilized as medicines, one of which is as an antibacterial medicinal material. because it contains secondary metabolite compounds that can inhibit the growth of Streptococcus Mutans bacteria. This type of research is a laboratory experiment with the method used, namely maceration for phytochemical screening tests and agar diffusion for antibacterial effectiveness tests with concentrations used in squid ink (Loligo sp) namely 5%, 10%, 15% 20% and in seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii) 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%. The results of the research conducted on phytochemical screening tests contained secondary metabolite compounds in squid ink (Loligo sp) triterpenoids, steroids and seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii) alkaloids, flavonoids, hodroquinone phenols, and tannins. From the research conducted on the antibacterial effectiveness test of squid ink (Loligo sp) and seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii) extracts against Streptococcus mutans bacteria, namely in both samples have the effectiveness in inhibiting Streptococcus mutans bacteria, with a high inhibition of squid ink concentration of 20% by 20.5 mm, and in seaweed concentration of 15% by 23 mm. The analysis used is spss using two tests, namely the shapiro wilk test and the mann whitney test. The conclusion of the mann-whitney test results with a p-value = 0.663 indicates there is no significant difference between squid ink extract (Loligo sp) and seaweed extract (Eucheuma cottonii).

Streptococcus mutans naturally occurs in the human oral cavity, is a microorganism that plays an important role in the initiation of dental caries. One of the efforts to prevent dental caries is the use of natural ingredients that contain antibacterial substances that can interfere with the growth or kill bacteria. Nutmeg is a natural ingredient that has antibacterial properties. Bioactive compounds in nutmeg seeds have antibacterial properties. This research aimed to determine the formulation and concentration of nutmeg seed extract which has antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans. The type of research used is a laboratory experiment with a post test only group design. The treatment group used purified extract of nutmeg seeds with concentrations of 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 7.5%, 5.0%, 2.5%, 1.25%, the positive control group used mouthwash I, T and L. The test was carried out three repetitions at each concentration, then the inhibition zone was measured using the well diffusion method. Antibacterial activity testing was carried out using the well method, the data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, the Levene test, the one way annova test and the PST hock test. Obtained the average inhibition of nutmeg seeds against Streptococcus mutans at a concentration of 25% (18.33 mm). 20% concentration (17.16 mm), 15% concentration (16.16 mm), 10% concentration (14.66 mm), 7.5% concentration (13.33 mm), 5% concentration (6.66 mm ), the concentration of 2.5% (2.6 mm) and the smallest concentration of 1.25% had no inhibition (0 mm), while in the control group I (4 mm), T (3 mm) and L (2 mm). The higher the concentration of purified extract of nutmeg seeds, the higher the antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans. further research on the concentration of nutmeg seed extract preparations was carried out in vivo tests on experimental animals in order to obtain purified extract preparations of nutmeg seeds that are safe and can be an alternative choice in maintaining oral health.