Evaluation of chemical compositions and antimicrobial activities of some essential oils against oral pathogens

The oral cavity is an anatomic structure, where many diseases may caused by microorganisms. Therapeutical approach is mainly by using antibiotics. In recent years, the discovery of new drugs has gained importance due to the increasing antibioticresistant microorganisms. It is well known that essential oils have antimicrobial properties and used for therapeutic purposes for many years. Salvia officinalis L., Pimpinella anisum L., Eucalyptus globulus L., Matricaria recutita L., Achillea millefolium L. essential oils are used against oral pathogens. In this study, Pharmacopoeia grade essential oils from commercial sources were analyzed by Gas chromatography/Flame ionization dedector and Gas chromatography/Mass spectrometer. Thereafter the antimicrobial activity of essential oils were tested against oral pathogenic standard strains such as Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium striatum, Candida albicans and Candida krusei. In addition, active essential oils have been combined with antibiotics and synergistic effects have been evaluated. As a result, it has been observed that the essential oils tested have avarage inhibitory antimicrobial activity against oral pathogens with a minimum inhibition concentration of 20-0.625 mg/mL and in combination with antibiotics M. recutita essential oil has been shown to have a synergistic effect against S. aureus in combination with tetracycline. Keywords: Oral cavity diseases, Essential oils, Antimicrobial activity, Synergic effect.