Abstract

Streptococcus mutans is one of the bacteria that are a major cause of tooth decay. Streptococcus mutans plays a special role in plaque formation and tooth decay. S. mutans, which is a gram-positive cocci and encapsulated bacterium, produces acid and is considered as an extracellular glucan polymer. Medicinal plants are of special value and importance in securing health status at the society level in terms of both treatment and prevention of human diseases and are as old as human history. The present review study reports on medicinal plants that are used as antibacterials against S. mutans. In this study, the search process was done using keywords, such as bacteria, Streptococcus mutans, and medicinal plants. Databases such as ISI Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Science Direct were searched and the relevant articles were used for reviewing purposes. Based on the results, there are 48 medicinal plants with anti-S. mutans effects. © 2017, Pharmainfo Publications. All rights reserved.