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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.    

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.

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.