Glycyrrhiza glabra: An efficient medicinal plant for control of periodontitis – A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Background: Periodontitis is a common oral problem that everyone faces at least once in lifetime. According to the WHO, among all oral diseases, prevalence rate of periodontitis is very high. As definition given by the American Dental Association, periodontitis is a chronic inflammation of the tooth and its supporting structure which leads to loosening of the teeth in their socket and lastly loss of teeth. From ancient times, peoples are using traditional medicines to prevent or cure the disease. Glycyrrhiza glabra is one of the medicinal plants that show the effectiveness for sore throat and other respiratory infections in researches. Thus, the present study is an attempt to check the efficacy of G. glabra in the prevention and cure of periodontitis. Methodology: A randomized clinical control trial was conducted on 104 patients divided into two groups – experimental group and control group. G. glabra gum paint in 10% concentration was given to patients of experimental group for 4 weeks. All patients were instructed to strictly follow good oral hygiene habits. Parameters used for checking the effectiveness of G. glabra were gingival bleeding, loss of attachment, and depth of periodontal pockets. Results: Preintervention and postintervention scores were analyzed by means of mean, standard deviation, and t-test. There is a significant improvement in periodontal status of patients in the experimental group. Conclusions: Results of the present study revealed that G. glabra was effective in preventing periodontal diseases. The present study also motivates to conduct more Medicinal plant-based clinical trial in the prevention of periodontitis so that effective treatment can be provided with a minimal side effect.