ORAL HEALTH EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE PROGRAM
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Title Turmeric in a Mouth Rinse or in Gel Form Can Be Used to Reduce Plaque Accumulation and to Prevent and Treat Gingivitis as Effectively as a Chlorhexidine Mouth Rinse
Clinical Question Compared to mouth rinses or gels containing chlorhexidine, what is the impact of turmeric mouth rinses or gels on plaque level and gingival inflammation?
Clinical Bottom Line A mouth rinse or gel containing turmeric can be used to reduce plaque accumulation and to prevent and treat gingivitis. Turmeric mouth rinse and gels may be just as effective as chlorhexidine without the side effects of chlorhexidine. Four out of the five studies in a systematic review show that turmeric had plaque- and gingivitis-reducing effects similar to chlorhexidine.
Best Evidence (you may view more info by clicking on the PubMed ID link)
PubMed ID Author / Year Patient Group Study type
(level of evidence)
#1) 27863601Stoyell/2016290 patients in 5 studies using chlorhexidine or turmeric Systematic review
Key resultsThis was a systematic review of published literature from five studies. In the review each study used different concentrations of both turmeric and chlorhexidine, in either mouth rinse or gel formulations, for the patients. The authors compared the plaque index (PI) and the gingival index (GI) for both chlorhexidine and turmeric mouth rinses or gels. Four of the studies showed that turmeric mouth rinse or gel was statistically comparable to chlorhexidine mouth rinse or gel in reducing the plaque index and gingival index. One of the studies found that turmeric was not as effective at reducing the plaque index or gingival index as chlorhexidine.
Evidence Search ("curcuma"[MeSH Terms] OR "curcuma"[All Fields] OR "turmeric"[All Fields]) AND ("gingivitis"[MeSH Terms] OR "gingivitis"[All Fields])
Comments on
The Evidence
Validity: The systematic review provided by Stoyell used multiple databases to locate articles and clearly stated their search strategy, inclusion criteria, and exclusion criteria. All the authors agreed on the studies that were included in the systematic review. However, only English articles were considered, the authors only searched for articles published 2010-1016, and authors did not assess or grade the quality of the 5 included articles, although the authors did point out the shortcomings of the studies. Perspective: All the studies reviewed were performed in India, perhaps limiting external validity. All studies: were only 21 days long and thus no conclusions can be made for longer use of the turmeric mouth rinse or gel; had small populations; did not consider patient demographics.
Applicability Staining of teeth and oral mucosa can be a problem with chlorhexidine rinses. For patients who require an adjunctive mouth rinse without the side effects of chlorhexidine, turmeric mouth rinse or gel may be an acceptable alternative to chlorhexidine.
Specialty/Discipline (General Dentistry) (Periodontics)
Keywords Turmeric, mouth rinse, plaque index, gingivitis
ID# 3155
Date of submission: 04/26/2017spacer
E-mail sugg@livemail.uthscsa.edu
Author Brent Sugg
Co-author(s)
Co-author(s) e-mail
Faculty mentor/Co-author Brian Mealey, DDS
Faculty mentor/Co-author e-mail Mealey@uthscsa.edu
Basic Science Rationale
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