Effectiveness of Allium sativum on bacterial oral infection

Garlic or Allium sativum is a species in the Allium genus. Its name is derived from an old English word that means spear and leek. Garlic is found all over the world. It has some important chemical compositions that show various activities. The health benefits of consuming garlic are very well known. The use of A. sativum as an antibacterial agent and its effects on oral flora are currently being studied in vitro and in vivo. The application of garlic in oral therapy has shown promising results against Porphyromonas gingivalis and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and also on the proteases of Porphyromonas gingivalis that are found in periodontitis. Furthermore, in vivo studies have reported that mouthrinse containing garlic extract is efficient in the treatment of Streptococcus mutans bacteria by reducing their complete count in saliva. The ongoing interest in garlic as an oral antibacterial agent has grown since it appears that the resistance of bacteria to garlic is much less than conventional antibiotics. It has also been found that garlic has antifungal, anticancer, antiallergic, antiobesity, and antiviral properties. Garlic could conceivably become a treatment option for patients suffering from a variety of oral diseases.