MEDICINAL EVALUATION OF AFRICAN SATINWOOD (D.benthamianus) EXTRACT FOR ORAL HEALTH

Abstract

The use of wood sticks for brushing teeth continues to be an important tool in many Afro-Asian communities particularly in the western part of Africa. The plants used are very carefully selected and a great number of these plant species have related medicinal properties that may be antibacterial. Therefore, this research work on African satinwood (Distemonanthus benthamianus) commonly known as ‘orin aayan’ in the western part of Nigeria was done to analyze its efficacy as an active oral wash through analysis of its chemical composition using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. The gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the Ethanol extract of the Distemonanthus benthamianus chew sticks was carried out using standard methods. The results obtained revealed that the chew stick contains ten different compounds out of which a few (Benzoic acid, ethyl ester, Decanoic acid, ethyl ester, Octanoic acid ethyl ester) were reported to be antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.. Benzene (1-pentylhepthyl) has also been reported as a pain reliever. The chemical composition of the ethanol extract Distemonanthus benthamianus showed that they can be a potential source of drugs for toothache and decay as well as flavoring agents in the production of commercial herbal toothpaste. Evidently, from the analysis, this plant is a rich source of bioactive compounds and may be used in developing value-added products and other industrial applications to extract their health and oral benefits.