Phytotherapy in Dentistry: A Literature Review Based on Clinical Data

Aims: Looking for scientific support with an updated review about herbal medicines usage in dentistry for clinical application, reinforcing the potential of phytotherapics to treat oral disorders and the need for new studies on the topic.

Material and Methods: The literature search was performed combining “phytotherapy” and “dentistry” in the PubMed, MEDLINE, BBO, LILACS and SciELO databases, covering the period from January 2017 to March 2020. The data extracted were: Alteration/oral disease, gender, age, number of participants, herbal medicine used, drug function and results.

Results: were selected 24 papers that employed different plants, such as Tulsi, Aloe vera, citronella, turmeric, propolis and cloves. The results found are promising and show the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, antiviral and tranquilizer action of herbal drugs, and their use for treating burning mouth syndrome, oral submucous fibrosis, xerostomia and halitosis.

Conclusion: despite the therapeutic activities of herbal medicines, additional studies with larger sample size and scientific rigor are necessary to prove their benefits for treating oral diseases.