Research Article Antimicrobial Effects of Gum Arabic-Silver Nanoparticles against Oral Pathogens Omnia Ahmed, 1 Nicole R. S. Sibuyi , 2 Adewale O. Fadaka , 2 Abram M. Madiehe , 2 Ernest Maboza, 3 Annette Olivier, 3 Mervin Meyer , 2 and Greta Geerts 1 1 Department of Restorative Dentistry, aculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa 2 Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) • Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (NIC) Biolabels Research Node, Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa 3 Oral and Dental Research Laboratory, aculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa Correspondence should be addressed to Mervin Meyer; memeyer@uwc.ac.za and Greta Geerts; ggeerts@uwc.ac.za Received 13 July 2022; Revised 7 October 2022; Accepted 11 November 2022; Published 13 December 2022 Academic Editor: Giuseppe Ciccarella Copyright © 2022 Omnia Ahmed et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Dental caries is considered one of the most prevalent oral diseases worldwide, with a high rate of morbidity among populations. It is a chronic infectious disease with a multifactorial etiology that leads to the destruction of the dental tissues. Due to their antimicrobial, anti•infammatory, antifungal, and antioxidant properties; silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are incorporated in dental products to help prevent infectious oral diseases. In this study, the antimicrobial efects of AgNPs synthesized using Gum Arabic extracts (GAE) were examined. Te GA•AgNPs were synthesized and characterized using ultraviolet•visible (UV•Vis) spec• trophotometer, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Te antimicrobial activity of the GA•AgNPs was evaluated on Streptococcus sanguinis (S. sanguinis), Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus), and Candida albicans (C. albicans) using agar disc difusion and microdilution assays. Te antibioflm of GA•AgNPs was evaluated on the surface of human tooth enamel that had been exposed to S. mutans with and without the GA•AgNPs using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). GA•AgNPs were spherical in shape with a particle size distribution between 4 and 26 nm. Te GA•AgNPs exhibited antimicrobial activity against all the tested oral microbes, with GA•AgNPs0.4g having higher antimicrobial activity. Te GA•AgNPs0.4g inhibited S. mutans adhesion and bioflm formation on the surface of the tooth enamel. Terefore, this study supports the prospective implementation of the plant extract• mediated AgNPs in dental healthcare. 1. Introduction Phytotherapy, i.e. the use of herbs or plant extracts to manage health, has played an important role in medicine for centuries. In fact, a signifcant number of drugs in clinical use are of plant origin or are inspired by plant•based products [1, 2]. Examples include cancer chemotherapeutic drugs such as paclitaxel, a dipertene isolated from the Taxus brevifolia Nutt bark extracts [2]; and camptothecin from the Camptotheca acuminate stem [3]. Similarly, products for oral health and hygiene were de• veloped from the use of plant products [4–6], where chewing sticks resulted in toothbrushes [5], plant•based decoctions into mouthwash, varnish, and remineralization agents. Tese tra• ditional practices are still used in lower income areas to date. In addition, some of the herbal remedies such as propolis, and clove are incorporated into commercial oral health•promoting products such as toothpaste, varnish, and irrigants [4, 7]. Over the years, several plant species with oral health promoting properties have been identifed. Tese include plant products made from medicinal plants (aloe vera), vegetables (garlic), herbs/spices (turmeric), fruits (pomegranate), and so on. [8]. Teir application in dentistry is encouraged for their varied biological benefts, particularly, their anti•infammatory, an• algesic, antimicrobial, antiplaque, antigingivitis, and Hindawi Bioinorganic Chemistry and Applications Volume 2022, Article ID 9602325, 11 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9602325