Natural Solutions for Dental Health: Exploring Plant-Based Therapeutics

Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

Danielle Orozco-Nunnelly

College

College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)

Discipline(s)

Biology

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-30-2026

Abstract

Infectious diseases are cited as one of the main causes of death worldwide. Many drugs to treat such illnesses were discovered in the mid-1900s, but this type of research has declined in recent years. At the same time, antimicrobial-resistant “superbug” infections are on the rise, including superbug biofilms present in the oral cavity, which are responsible for diseases such as tooth decay, gum disease, and implant failure. We have been working to explore various plants from a medicinal garden on the Valparaiso University campus to screen extracts against common disease-causing oral bacteria (as well as one beneficial oral microbe) with the goal of discovering novel compounds to fight these illnesses. Approximately twenty-five methanolic plant extracts have been tested, of which the following five showed promising antimicrobial effects: raspberry root, raspberry leaf, chokeberry root, chokeberry leaf, rosemary leaf. Work has begun to understand the main classes of phytocompound secondary metabolites present in these samples. Interestingly, differential effects were seen with the beneficial microbe (S. salivarius), where several of the extracts were able to inhibit pathogenic-associated microbial species but had no effect on S. salivarius. Moreover, S. pyogenes, an oral pathogen associated with mouth/throat infections and periodontal complications, was found to be especially susceptible to many of the plant extracts. Future research will focus on separating and chemically characterizing several promising extracts to identify novel plant compounds relevant in dental health. This is a student-initiated project for which pre-dental student Daileen Serrano received a Valpo CWR Guild Undergraduate Research Expense grant.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

We are a group of pre-dental/medical students working in Dr. Nunnelly's lab in the biology department at VU. 

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