## 4 Discussion
It was stated that organisms were the most susceptible to EEP at acidic pH followed by neutral and alkaline pH [84]. In another study, propolis mouth rinse was found to have an effective antimicrobial action against _S. mutans_[84]. In this sense, Greek honeys, which are already more effective than the manuka control source, as tested in this study, are estimated to better fulfill the pathogens inhibition status if specific extracted derivatives were also used in oral hygiene sources such as gels, mouth rinses, or dentifrices. Honey also contains oligosaccharides in large quantities. The sugar composition of honey from different floral sources was related to the growth inhibition of various intestinal bacteria [85]. Sugars do not possess antibacterial properties per se, but their concentration regulates the osmolarity and the osmolality of honey [86; 87]. From the findings of our study, it is not clear however, if these differences can significantly affect the colloidal and rheological properties of different honeys and thus alter their antibacterial effect. Despite their antibacterial effect, honey's carbohydrates could be a factor of cariogenesis in high-risk dental patients [62; 63]. Of course, in this risk category, patient's use of honey is better than the sugar itself [62]. As shown in the study of [PERSON] et al. (1998) [88], the initial microhardness of the surface of the enamel decreased significantly after consumption of a teaspoonful of honey in the subjects with a regular saliva flow, whereas in the irradiated dry-mouth patients, no enamel microhardness decrease occurred. The supposed solubility-reducing factor present in honey, which remains active in the absence of saliva but is inactivated by salivary enzymes, gives some support to the hypothesis that honey is less cariogenic or erosive in dry-mouth subjects [63; 89]. These findings could most likely suggest that honey as a natural diet source could work better as an anticariogenic, anti-erosive, or wound healing factor in patients with hyposalvation [89; 90; 91]. However, diagnosed hyposalvation often comprises a sequuela of severe systemic diseases, such as [PERSON]'s syndrome [92; 91], diabetes mellitus [93], or cancer during the phase of chemotherapy and radiotherapy [94; 95]. It can also be derived by age or certain drugs (i.e., intake of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, anorexia, anticholinergic/antispasmodic agents, sedatives, anti-parkinson agents, antipsychotics, etc.) [96; 97]. Possibly, in these patients, honey should be used through natural sources while propolisols should be used in younger and healthy patients as extracts in oral hygiene products. Moreover, it is reported that a part of the antibacterial activity might be attributed to the components of plant origin [97; 98]. In our study, honeys of different plant origins were used, and the results show differences in the diameter of the inhibition zones as well as in MIC according to the plant origin. After the addition of catalase, which eliminates the activity of hydrogen peroxide, the still existing antibacterial activity of honey is entirely due to various phytochemicals. A portion of these substances is of protein or peptide origin, as the addition of proteinase K suggests, and the rest are phenolic, flavonoid, and other compounds with antibacterial activity, all of them derived from the plants that bees forage. Honey contains proteins and peptides with antibacterial activity. [PERSON] and [PERSON] (2015) [99] identified fragments of glycoproteins, which exerted non-specific membrane permeabilization of the bacterial cells, resulting in a strong inhibition of growth. The same researchers (2014) [100] argued that compounds in Canadian honey act against bacterial cells in a mode similar to \(\beta\)-lactams. Four families of antibacterial peptides and proteins have been identified so far, in bees: apideacins, abaecins, hypmenpotacin, and defensin.