Herbal Medicines: An Adjunct to Current Treatment Modalities for Periodontal Diseases

Periodontal disease is one of the most common diseases affecting oral health causing alveolar bone loss, tooth loss and bad breath with much prevalence in the age group of 35 – 44 years. Remedies such as toothpastes and mouthwashes are available in the market for its cure however; these are associated with side effects such as tooth staining by chlorhexidine-based mouthwash and altered taste sensation. Excessive use of mouthwashes also alters the normal biological flora of the oral cavity. Therefore, herbal alternatives for the cure of periodontal disease may be of an effective therapeutic significance with less side effects on oral and systemic health. This review summarizes the effective role of herbal medicaments such as Acacia nilotica (gum Arabic), Aloe barbadensis (Aloe Vera), Salvadora persica (Miswak), Eugenia caryophyllata (Clove), Nigella sativa (Kalonji), Azadirachta indica (Neem) and Propolis resin (Bee Glue) in the treatment of periodontal disease, thus emphasizing the current need of herbal medicines as better alternatives.