Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used for oral health in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract In Nigeria, the use of herbal medicines for oral health is prevalent because of their affordability, accessibility and efficacy. In this study, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted to record and analyze the medicinal plants used for oral health in Osogbo. Sixty-seven informants were interviewed for the local names of plants used, the plant parts, and how they are used. A literature review was conducted to assess the scientific validation of the recorded plants through antimicrobial studies on oral pathogens. Thirty-six species from 21 families were recorded from the ethnobotanical survey; families Euphorbiaceae and Fabaceae have the highest species representations, with five species each. Massularia acuminata is the most used plant, with FC, RFC and FL of 64, 0.99 and 99%, respectively. About 84% of the recorded plants were woody species. Chewing was the most preferred method of use, and twigs were the most used plant part. A literature review on the antimicrobial activities of the recorded plants revealed that extracts from 20 of the 36 implicated plants had been tested on oral pathogens, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis , Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus mutans , etc., thus confirming the folkloric usages of some of the recorded plants in oral health and care.