Efficacy of Herbal Medicine for Treatment of Gingivitis and Periodontitis: A Review

The most common etiology of gingivitis is accumulation of bacterial plaque. Complete removal of microbial plaque by mechanical procedures is not possible in some cases; for example, aged and disabled patients might not be capable of removing the bacterial plaques properly. Also, chemical mouthwashes have some adverse effects. Therefore, finding a new treatment approach would be helpful. The global focus on the use of herbal medicine for treatment of different health conditions is on the rise. The present study aimed at searching and collecting scientific evidence regarding medicinal herbs to treat gingivitis and periodontitis. Materials and Methods: In this review, an electronic search of the literature was conducted through PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Wiley online library databases. Studies were considered for inclusion if they evaluated medicinal herbs affecting gingival and periodontal inflammation or periodontal pathogens. Totally, 197 full-text articles were evaluated and finally, based on the inclusion criteria, 22 articles were selected. Results: There are various medical herbs with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which can significantly decrease gingival and periodontal inflammation, bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD) and the count of major periodontal pathogens, and promote clinical attachment gain. Conclusion: The introduced herbal products could be an efficient and safe alternative to chemical products.