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  • Essay / The antibacterial effect of Mentha Piperita L. against Streptococcus Mutans as a mouthwash

    Through history, the genus Mentha L. and the family (Lamiaceae), species which include approximately 260 genera and more than 7,000 species are used worldwide and one example is Mentha piperita L. (Brahmi, Khodir, Mohamed & Pierre, 2017), commonly known as peppermint, a hybrid of spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) and water mint (Mentha aquatic L.) which has a strong sweet aroma and a hot, pungent taste. with a refreshing aftertaste (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018). It is a perennial herb 50 to 90 cm tall, usually quadrilateral, the generally branched stems are usually tinged purple but sometimes gray-haired and the dark green or light green leaves are short-stalked, oblong-ovate and serrated with finely toothed margins while the flowers are purple or pinkish with false spikes with numerous imperceptible bracts and rarely bear seeds or most often sterile and spread by means of stolons and grow on a sunny side and prefer acidic soils , neutral and basic, light and medium but can also grow in heavy clay soil (Belkheir, Shushni, & Singh, 2015). It has been cultivated throughout Asia, Europe and North America since its introduction in the London Pharmacopoeia in 1721 thanks to its essential oil (Brahmi, Khodir, Mohamed and Pierre, 2017) extracted from the aerial parts of the flowering plant, The dried leaves, the fresh flowering plant and the whole plant used as a medicine (Belkheir, Shushni, & Singh, 2015), while the dried flowers are used as a flavoring and the fresh leaves normally used as a culinary herb (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018). ) as a treatment for colds, inflammation of the mouth, pharynx, liver, as well as disorders of the gastrointestinal tract such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, flatulence and dyspepsia. M. piperita L. has long been used as safe medicinal preparations, less toxic than synthetic preparations, contains a wide variety of bioactive compounds which are an excellent source of phytochemicals, antioxidants, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory . -carcinogenic, antiviral, anti-allergic and antitumorigenic beneficial in the prevention or treatment of several diseases. Furthermore, M. piperita L has great potential for economical and low-cost application in the medical and food industry (Barbalho, Guiguer, Menezes, & Trevisan, 2017). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayMentha piperita L. produces 0.1-1% volatile oil consisting mainly of menthol (29-48%), menthone (20 to 31%), menthofuran (6.8%) and menthyl acetate (3 to 10%). Other pharmacologically active ingredients include bitter substances, caffeic acid, flavonoids (12%), polymerized polyphenols (19%), carotenes, tocopherols, betaine, choline and tannins (Singh, Shushni and Belkheir , 2015). Levo-menthol, a levorotatory form obtained naturally from menthol also known as peppermint camphor, a terpene alcohol with a strong minty, refreshing odor and taste is obtained from peppermint oil or is produced synthetically by hydrogenation of thymol. It is used medicinally in ointments, cough drops, nasal inhalers and is also used as a flavoring in foods, cigarettes, liquors, cosmetics and perfumes (Wade, 2018). Due to its pleasant mint taste and its feeling of freshness in the mouth,lungs and throat, menthol cigarettes "one of the causes of tooth decay (Dental Health & Your Health, 2016)" gained popularity in the 1950s and are generally sold as "healthy" cigarettes (Wickham, 2015), but is now singled out by studies as being the main driver of the growing number of young people (people aged 11 to 17) and young adults (people aged 18 to 30). Although there is little evidence that menthol in cigarettes is a cause of nicotine addiction and unsuccessful smoking cessation, studies indicate that menthol's cooling and anesthetic properties soften and soften the taste of cigarettes and pose a risk to public health. As a sort of countermeasure to this alarming state of youth and young adult smokers, WHO created the Tobacco Product Regulation Study Group (TobReg) which presents its first advisory note on menthol in tobacco products. of tobacco which undoubtedly recommends prohibiting the use of menthol and its analogues, precursors or derivatives in cigarettes and possibly in all tobacco products (World Health Organization, 2016). This may be a great opportunity for members of the mint family to advance further and reclaim its heyday as a traditionally used herb and medicine, to bridge the gap that has existed since the days when it was mistreated and used wrongly. Losing your teeth completely can sometimes cause you to lose your health. smile and cause a decline in self-esteem, leading to social withdrawal and difficulty eating your preferred and appropriate nutritional food therapy (Kalman, 2017). Tooth decay, one of the causes of an imperfect smile, is the loss of the tooth's outer layer, enamel, and the calcified tissue surrounding the tooth's pulp cavity, dentin, which occurs when foods containing Carbohydrates are left on the teeth and bacteria present in the mouth are digested. and convert these foods into acids. Bacteria, acid, food scraps, and saliva mix to form plaque that attaches teeth to the enamel surface, leading to tooth decay (Friedman, 2017). Cavities are common among children, but due to old age, they become a problem for adults as well. Breakdowns on the edges or margins of fillings are also common in older adults due to lack of fluoride and modern prophylactic dental care while growing up (American Dental Association, 2018). A survey shows that 45% of 10,000 adults do not brush their teeth at night due to fatigue, forgetfulness and laziness, while 28% simply use water to brush their teeth and 14 % use only their fingers to brush their teeth (Parry, 2015). Thus, we, pharmacy students of the University of Negros Occidental - Recoletos, wish to formulate a mouthwash using the leaf extracts of Mentha piperita L. which could perhaps provide relief, save time and effort in life people and help minimize certain causes of cavities, in particular. bacterial cause, since the mouthwash helps to minimize and maintain some bacteria levels, eliminate food debris and stop bad breath in the mouth thanks to its fresh mint aroma (Parry, 2015). Charles Darwin, in his theory of natural selection, described “survival of the fittest” as the change of living organisms over time called evolution. Evolution, a biological phenomenon attributed to all living organisms resulting from the formation of new forms of life supported by fossil records, the.