•There are at least 137 plants from 53 families used in traditional oral health care in West Africa.•Less than 50 % of the plants have been tested for their antimicrobial activities against oral pathogens.•Candida albicans, fusobacterium nucleatum, porphyromonas gingivalis, and streptococcus mutans are the most tested pathogens for antimicrobial studies.•Very few studies have examined the antimicrobial activities of isolated phytochemicals. The physiological condition of the oral cavity makes it a perfect place for microbial growth. Therefore, diseases associated with the oral cavity affect approximately half of the world's population, making them some of the most common diseases. In Africa, the use of medicinal plants for oral health is a longstanding tradition because of their accessibility and affordability. This study reviews the published literature on the plants used for treating oral diseases in West Africa and the scientific studies carried out on the plants regarding the validation of their ethnobotanical uses. The information used in this review was retrieved from various published articles downloaded from databases and journal websites. A total of 137 plant species from 53 families are presented in this review. The families Fabaceae (22), Asteraceae (8), Anarcadiaceae (6), Euphorbiaceae (6), Combretaceae (5), Myrtaceae (5), Rubiaceae (5), Apocynaceae (4), and Meliaceae (4) account for 47 % of the plants recorded in this review. Approximately 50 % of the plant species are trees; leaves are the most commonly used plant part, and decoction is the most preferred preparation method. Of the 137 plants, only 41 have been examined for their antimicrobial activities against oral pathogens, notably Candida albicans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Streptococcus mutans. Based on this, some of the most active plants with low MIC include Allium cepa, Argemone mexicana, Ricinus communis, and Syzygium aromaticum. A few studies have also tested the activities of isolated phytochemicals from some plants and evidence of beneficial synergism between two or three plants on oral infections. The conservation statuses of most of the species implicated in this review are least concerned (66); 5 species are vulnerable,3 species are nearly threatened, and one species is endangered. This review revealed the need to intensify efforts on the ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological studies of plants used to treat various oral diseases.