Plants with antimicrobial activity with potential application in periodontal diseases

Abstract

Introduction The most common periodontal diseases are gingivitis and periodontitis. In these conditions the areas at or below the gingival crevice become infected with anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinobacillus, Prevotella and Fusobacterium. The increase of bacterial resistance to antibiotics and adverse drug reactions to antibacterial agents has led to the search of natural phytochemicals that are safe and cost-effective. Aim The purpose or this review was to search the literature for plants with antimicrobial activity against oral pathogens causing periodontal diseases. Materials and Methods Literature was accessed through PubMed and Scopus to present some examples of plants that have been shown to inhibit the growth of periodontal pathogens. Results There are numerous reports of the traditional use of medicinal plants for treatment of oral diseases but there are few studies demonstrating their antimicrobial activity. Extracts that exhibit bactericidal effects against periodontopathogenic bacteria are obtained from plants such as Coptidis rhizoma, Hamamelis virginiana, Allium sativum (garlic), Harungana madagascariensis, Pistacia lentiscus, Arnica montana, Althaea officinalis, Pittosporum tobira, Anacardium occidentale, Aloe vera and grape seeds. The purified phytochemicals with antibacterial activity against periodontal pathogens are the flavonoid naringin, the alka-loid berberine and the terpenes bakuchiol and xanthorrhizol. Conclusion Future studies are necessary to investigate the antimicrobial activity of medicinal plants against oral pathogens and thus to validate their traditional use in periodontal diseases.