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Original Research
Antibacterial effect of different concentrations of
garlic(Allium sativum) extract on dental plaque bacteria
Behzad Houshmand, Faranak Mahjour, Omid Dianat
Department of Periodontology,
Dental School, Shahid Beheshti
University of Medical Sciences,
Tehran, Iran

ABSTRACT

Received
: 18-07-11
Review completed : 19-10-11
Accepted
: 27-11-11

Background: Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, exhibits antibacterial effects against
a wide range of bacteria.
Aim: The objective of this invitro study was to assess the antibacterial effect of different
concentrations of garlic extract against human dental plaque microbiota.
Materials and Methods: Antibacterial activities of four different concentrations of garlic
extract(5%, 10%, 20%, and 100%) were evaluated against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus
sanguis, Streptococcus salivarius, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and lactobacillus spp. using the
disk diffusion method. Papers soaked in 0.2% concentration chlorhexidine gluconate and saline
were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. The data were subjected to oneway
ANOVA and the Tukey multiple comparisons test at a 5% significance level.
Results: All bacterial strains were inhibited by all test materials. The inhibition zones of the
different concentrations of garlic extract were not significantly different for S.mutans, S.sanguis,
and S.salivarius. For P.aeruginosa and lactobacillus spp. the inhibition zones of 5%, 10% and
20% concentrations were not significantly different from one another, but they were significantly
more than that of the 100% extract.
Conclusion: The 5%, 10%, 20%, and 100% concentrations of garlic extract had similar effects,
so further studies seem to be indicated on the usefulness of the 5% extract.
Key words: Allium sativum, antimicrobial effect, dental plaque, garlic extract, oral streptococci

Dental plaque is the major cause of dental caries and

periodontal disease. Plaque is a habitat for different
microorganisms.[1] While plaque removal is necessary for
the prevention or treatment of dental caries and periodontal
diseases, effective treatment should also ensure reduction
of plaque bacteria.[2] The mechanical removal of the plaque
is usually inadequate and so chemical agents, generally
antibiotics, must also be used in the treatment process.[3]
However, antibiotics often have undesirable side effects.
Emergence of drug resistance; molecular changes in
organisms, which might result in increased virulence;
and development of drug hypersensitivity are the most

commonly reported undesirable effects of antibiotic

usage.[4,5] The side effects of antibiotics, and particularly the
increasing problem of antibiotic resistance, emphasizes the
need for alternative solutions.

Address for correspondence:

Dr.Omid Dianat
Email:omiddianat@gmail.com

In comparison with tetracycline, pure garlic extract

shows more efficient antimicrobial activity against cecal
bacteria.[13] Garlic extract also exhibits antifungal and
antiviral activity.[14,15] For instance, garlic is reported to
an effective fungicidal agent against Candida albicans, a
fungus that is usually present in the oral cavity.[16] Garlic
is also suggested to act synergistically with antibiotics.[6]
These pharmacological properties have been attributed
to the presence of allicin and thiosulphonates. [17,18]
Elnima etal . [19] have shown that 25% garlic extract
has good antimicrobial activity against human oral

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DOI:
10.4103/0970-9290.114957

71

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is one of

suggested alternatives to antibiotics, with antibacterial
effects against a wide range of bacteria, including
Escherichia, Lactobacilli, Helicobacter pylori, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Mycobacterium
tuberculosis.[6-11] Streptococcus mutans are responsive to
garlic extract, with the minimum inhibition concentration
ranging from 4 to 32g/ml.[12]

Indian Journal of Dental Research, 24(1), 2013

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Hooshmand, etal.

Antibacterial effect of garlic extract on plaque bacteria

microorganismsand have suggested that mouthwash

containing 10% garlic extract can significantly reduce the
level of oral bacteria.
Not much work has been carried out on the effects of
different concentrations of garlic extract. The objective
of this invitro study was to assess the antibacterial effect
ofdifferent concentrations of garlic extract against human
dental plaque microbiota.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Pure and fresh garlic extract was obtained from Zarband
Pharmaceutical Company, Tehran, Iran. According to the
manufacturers, the extract was prepared from rootless bulbs
of fresh garlic, using an aqueous extraction method. In order
to achieve concentrations of 5%, 10%, and 20%, the extract
was diluted with sterilized distilled water.
Antibacterial activities of the different concentrations of
extract were evaluated against Streptococcus mutans(ATCC
25172), Streptococcus sanguis(ATCC 10566), Streptococcus
salivarius(ATCC 25975), Pseudomonas aeruginosa(ATCC
27853), and Lactobacillus spp., using the disk diffusion
method. The strains were obtained from the Department
of Microbiology, Hamedan Medical University, Hamedan,
Iran.
The study was performed on doublelayered plates. The
base layer of each plate contained 10ml of sterilized
MullerHinton(MH) agar spread on sterilized petri dishes.
Each strain of microorganism was activated and preserved
separately in MH broth. All the samples were then incubated
at 37C in the presence of 5% CO2 for 24h and then, in order
to reach a turbidity of 0.5 on the McFarland scale, they were
seeded into 15ml of the MH agar. Atotal of 20 plates, plus
5 negative controls and 5 positive controls, were used. Filter
papers soaked in 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate(Shahrdaru,
Tehran, Iran) and saline were used as positive and negative
controls, respectively.
A 6mmdiameter sterilized Whatman filter paper
No.1(Rundfilter, MachereyNagel, D5160 Doren,
Germany, Werkstrabe 68) was impregnated with 0.5ml
of the 5%, 10%, 20%, and 100% concentrations of garlic
extract and were then located on each plate. The plates were
again incubated at 37C in the presence of 5% CO2 for 72h.
The process was performed under full aseptic conditions.
The diameter of the inhibition areas was determined in
millimeters by a neutral observer. Two measurements,
perpendicular to each other, were taken for each specimen.
The test was repeated thrice, and the mean diameter was
determined. The data were subjected to oneway ANOVA
and the Tukey multiple comparisons test at a 5% significance
level.
Indian Journal of Dental Research, 24(1), 2013

RESULTS
The negative control showed bacterial growth, with no
zone of inhibition perceived around the disk. All bacterial
strains were inhibited by the positive control as well as
all the test materials. The measured mean and standard
deviation of the inhibition zones of all samples and positive
control after 72h are shown in Figures1-5. It can be seen
that the inhibition zones with the different concentrations
of garlic extract were not significantly different for
S.mutans, S.sanguis, and S.salivarius. For P.aeruginosa
and lactobacillus spp. the inhibition zones of 5%, 10% and
20% concentrations were not significantly different from
one another, but they were all significantly greater than
that of the 100% extract.

DISCUSSION
The aim of this investigation was to evaluate and compare
the antibacterial effect of different concentrations of
garlic extract against human dental plaque microbiota by
using the disk diffusion method. The results of this study
reveal that garlic extract at all the different concentrations
tested demonstrates antimicrobial activity against
plaque microorganisms. Its effect varies with different
concentrations and against different microorganisms.
The antibacterial effects of different concentrations of
garlic extracts on various strains of bacteria were similar
to each other. However, the concentration of 100% of
garlic extract was significantly less effective than other
concentrations against P.aeruginosa and lactobacillus
spp. Furthermore, according to our results the extract
is somewhat more effective against lactobacillus spp .
than against the other studied bacteria. This observed
difference might be a result of genetic differences among
the organisms.
A limited number of studies have investigated the
antibacterial effects of garlic extract against human dental
plaque microbiota. One previous study has reported the
significant effect of 10% garlic solution in decreasing
levels of oral microorganisms,[19] and our results are in
total agreement with this study. Groppo etal.[20] have
observed a remarkable reduction of mutans streptococci
after gargling with a 2.5% garlic mouthwash solution.
Another study, reporting a reduction in levels of
S.mutans after garlic mouthwash, mentioned that a 3%
concentration was the minimum concentration at whicha
zone of inhibition was observed.[21] Multidrugresistant and
nonmultidrugresistant strains of S.mutans havealso been
reported to be sensitive to garlic extract.[12] In addition,
combination of garlic with lime is reported to have a
noticeable antibacterial effect against isolates from carious
teeth.[22] Although these studies were performed using
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Antibacterial effect of garlic extract on plaque bacteria

Hooshmand, etal.

Figure1: Zone of inhibition(meanstandard deviation) of different

concentrations of garlic and positive control against S.mutans

Figure2: Zone of inhibition(meanstandard deviation) of different

concentrations of garlic and positive control against S.sanguis

Figure3: Zone of inhibition (mean standard deviation) of different

concentrations of garlic and positive control against S. salivarius

Figure4: Zone of inhibition(meanstandard deviation) of different

concentrations of garlic and positive control against P.aeruginosa

of garlic. [23-25] This antimicrobial effect of allicin has

been attributed to its reactions with the thiol groups of
various enzymes, e.g.,alcohol dehydrogenase, thioredoxin
reductase, and RNA polymerase.[10]

Figure5: Zone of inhibition(meanstandard deviation) of different

concentrations of garlic and positive control against Lactobacillus spp

different concentrations from that used in our study, the

similarity between our findings and that of other authors
is obvious.
Allicin, a phytochemical component of garlic, has been
considered to be responsible for the antimicrobial activity
73

In this study, we compared the antibacterial effect of garlic

extract with that of chlorhexidine. Chlorhexidine was
more effective than garlic extract but it should be noted
that this antimicrobial agent has been known to provoke
an immediate hypersensitivity reaction and also has other
side effects. For example, chlorhexidine has been reported
to be cytotoxic to human periodontal ligament cells.[26] Also,
it could hinder protein synthesis and affect mitochondrial
activity in these cells.[27] Thus, chlorohexidine could cause
serious harm to the oral tissues. In view of this, garlic extract
might seem a suitable alternative for many patients.
Recently, there has been an increase in the popularity of
herbal medicinal products. Asurvey revealed that 9.3%
of adults use natural health products. [28] Most herbal
medicine users have reported that herbs have worked
efficaciously for them and, in some instances, been more
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Antibacterial effect of garlic extract on plaque bacteria

efficacious than even conventional medicines. Such

perceptions might explain the sustained popularity of
herbal medicines.[29]
Halitosis, nausea, unpleasant taste,[20] and increased bacterial
biofilm formation on orthodontic wire[30] were reported
when garlic extract used as a mouth wash. Deodorization
of garlic extract may resolve much of these drawbacks.
Various methods, including drinking milk[31] and use
of mushroom extract,[32] tea catechins, or plant extracts
containing polyphenol and phenolic derivatives,[33-35] have
been reported to be effective in suppressing the malodor
of garlic.

CONCLUSION
All microorganisms used in the present study were
susceptible to the garlic extracts. No isolates were resistant
to garlic, indicating that it is a promising antimicrobial
agent. The 5%, 10%, 20%, and 100% concentrations of
garlic extract had relatively similar effects, so the 5%
solution can be considered for further studies. It might
be concluded that using optimum concentrations of garlic
extract in toothpastes or mouth washes can be useful in
the management of dental caries and periodontitis. Clinical
studies are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of garlic extract.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are grateful to the Iranian Center for Endodontic
Research, Shahid Beheshti University M.C., Tehran, Iran, for
technical support.

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Hooshmand, etal.
How to cite this article: Houshmand B, Mahjour F, Dianat O. Antibacterial
effect of different concentrations of garlic (Allium sativum) extract on dental
plaque bacteria. Indian J Dent Res 2013;24:71-5.
Source of Support: Nil, Conflict of Interest: None declared.

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