Comparing the Effectiveness of Herbal and Conventional Dentifrices in Reducing Dental Plaque and Gingivitis: A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION: The important cause of chronic gingivitis was proved to be dental plaque, which is a well-organized biofilm. However, self-care efforts or mechanical control of dental plaque by toothbrushing was important; these alone will not be enough to prevent gingivitis. AIM: The aim of the present systematic review was to compare the effectiveness of herbal and conventional toothpastes on reduction of dental plaque and gingivitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from original scientific papers published in PubMed, Cochrane, Lilacs, and Google Scholar were taken for review up to November 2020. Randomized controlled trials and clinical trials compare the effectiveness of herbal and non-herbal toothpastes on reduction of dental plaque and gingivitis. Articles published in English language only were included. References from the identified publications were manually searched to identify additional relevant articles. Seven publications fulfilled all the inclusion criteria and were finally selected for systematic review. Outcome measurements for gingivitis were gingival index and dental plaque index. RESULTS: As all the studies were randomized controlled trials, level of evidence was II. Among all studies, green tea dentifrice toothpastes showed significant reduction when compared with conventional dentifrice, and ayurvedic toothpaste and Carica papaya leaf extract were also effective. CONCLUSION: Herbal toothpaste seems to be powerful similar to non-herbal toothpaste; however, it is no longer extra superior to fluoride toothpaste. Further, long-term randomized studies of >6 months are needed to investigate the beneficial effects of intervention alone.