Tooth decay and periodontitis (inflammation of tissues that support teeth) are probably amongst the most common conditions worldwide. Natural toothpastes and mouthwashes can support healthy oral health via multiple mechanisms including inhibiting oral pathogenic bacteria and subsequent plaque formation, aiding healthy tissue growth, reducing inflammation and supporting small blood vessel integrity.
A wide range of plant extracts can be used to inhibit the pathogenic processes that lead to tooth decay, gingivitis and other periodontal disease. Recent studies include:
- Drinking green tea may inhibit plaque formation via polyphenols (Liu et al., 2000; Rasheed and Haider 1998)
- Liquorice has been shown to inhibit plaque formation and inhibit decay via antibacterial and antiinflammatory effects (Salkowitz, 2012; Gazzani etal., 2012; Messier et al., 2012; Hu at al., 2011; Sasaki et al., 2010)
- Gum tissue- strengthening polyphenols are found in plants such as bilberry, hawthorn, grape seed extract (Singh and Purohit, 2011)
- Xylitol chewing gum: There are many studies on the plaque-reducing effects of xylitol chewing gum (e.g. Bahador et al., 2012; Kauko et al., 2008)
- Manuka honey: A human trial of 60 young adults showed manuka honey to be as effective as the antibacterial chlorhexidine contained in mouthwashes (Prathibha et al., 2010)
- Frankincense was shown to reduce inflammation in gingivitis (Khosravi et al., 2011).
- Plants shown to reduce oral pathogenic bacteria are Aloe vera gel (Fani and Kohanteb, 2012), Garlic (contains allicin) (Gilad et al., 2011), propolis (Pimenta et al., 2004), pomegranate (Somu et al., 2012), the essential oils of peppermint and rosemary were shown to be more effective at inhibiting bacterial oral biofilms / plaque than chlorhexidine (Rasooli et al., 2008; Shojaedin et al., 2008)
- Probiotics aid healthy oral bacterial balance by reducing cariogenic bacteria numbers (e.g. Shyamali et al., 2012; Bizzini et
al., 2012) - Grape seed extract (containing proanthocyanidins which increase collagen cross-linking) was shown in vitro to increase remineralization / decrease demineralization of tooth caries (Xie et al., 2005)
References
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Bizzini, Pizzo, Scapagnini, Nuzzo, Vasto2012Probiotics and oral health. Curr Pharm Des. May 25. Epub 2012 May 25. PMID: 22632388
Fani M, Kohanteb J.Aloe vera gel at optimum concentration could be used as an antiseptic for prevention of dental caries and periodontal diseases. J Oral Sci. 2012 ;54(1):15-21. PMID: 22466882
Gazzani G, Daglia M, Papetti A. 2012Food components with anticaries activity. Curr Opin Biotechnol. Apr;23(2):153-9. Epub 2011 Oct 24.
Hu CH, He J, Eckert R, Wu XY, Li LN, Tian Y, Lux R, Shuffer JA, Gelman F, Mentes J, 2011 Development and evaluation of a safe and effective sugar-free herbal lollipop that kills cavity-causing bacteria. Int J Oral Sci. Jan;3(1):13-20. doi: 10.4248/IJOS11005.
Khosravi Samani M, Mahmoodian H, Moghadamnia A, Poorsattar Bejeh Mir A, Chitsazan M. 2011The effect of Frankincense in the treatment of moderate plaque-induced gingivitis: a double blinded randomized clinical trial. Daru. 2011;19(4):288-94.
Liu, Chi2000 [Experimental study on polyphenol anti-plaque effect in human]. Zhonghua Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi. Sep;35 5):383-4. PMID: 11780252
Messier C, Epifano F, Genovese S, Grenier D. 2012Licorice and its potential beneficial effects in common oro-dental diseases. Oral Dis. Jan;18(1):32-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1601-0825.2011.01842.x.
Nayak, Nayak, Mythili2010Effect of Manuka honey, chlorhexidine gluconate and xylitol on the clinical levels of dental plaque. Contemp Clin Dent. Oct ;1(4):214-7. PMID: 22114423
Pimenta da Silva Leitão, Alves da Silva Filho, Polizello, Bastos, Spadaro2004Comparative evaluation of in-vitro effects of Brazilian green propolis and Baccharis dracunculifolia extracts on cariogenic factors of Streptococcus mutans. Biol Pharm Bull. Nov;27(11):1834-9. PMID: 15516733
Rasheed, Haider 1998 Antibacterial activity of Camellia sinensis extracts against dental caries. Arch Pharm Res. Jun;21(3):348-52. PMID: 9875456
Rasooli, Shayegh, Taghizadeh, Astaneh2008Phytotherapeutic prevention of dental biofilm formation. Phytother Res. Sep;22 9):1162-7. PMID: 18729251
Saha, Tomaro-Duchesneau, Tabrizian, PrakashProbiotics as oral health biotherapeutics. 2012 Expert Opin Biol Ther. Jun 13. Epub 2012 Jun 13. PMID: 22690730
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Sasaki H, Suzuki N, lshwaimi E, Xu Y, Battaglino R, Morse L, Stashenko P. 201018β-glycyrrhetinic acid inhibits periodontitis via
glucocorticoid-independent nuclear factor-κB inactivation in interleukin-10-deficient mice. J Periodontal Res. Dec;45(6):757-63. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0765.2010.01296.x.
Shayegh, Rasooli, Taghizadeh, Astaneh2008Phytotherapeutic inhibition of supragingival dental plaque. Nat Prod Res. Mar 20;22(5):428-39. PMID: 18404563
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Xie, Bedran-Russo, Wu2005In vitro remineralization effects of grape seed extract on artificial root caries. Indian J Physiol
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