Dental News - Indian walnut fruit beneficial in preventing periodontitis

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 11. May 2017

save

SEOUL, South Korea: Ethanol extracts of the fruit of the Terminalia chebula tree, commonly known as Indian walnut, may be an effective means to prevent oral inflammation and bone resorption, new findings of a South Korean study have suggested.

T. chebula is a plant found throughout South East Asia. The properties of various extracts of its fruit have been widely studied and include antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiviral effects. Consequently, T. chebula is one of the most commonly used plants in traditional medicines on the Indian subcontinent.

In the study, the researchers investigated the effect of an ethanol extract of T. chebula in the treatment and prevention of periodontal disease. The antibacterial effect was analysed using the disc diffusion method, and the anti-inflammatory effect was determined by molecular biological analysis of cultured cells mediated by bacteria associated with dental plaque formation. In addition, the prevention of osteoclastic bone resorption by the plant extract was explored using osteoclast formation and pit formation assays.

The findings showed that the plant extract suppressed the growth of harmful oral bacteria and reduced the induction of inflammatory cytokines and proteases while not showing cytotoxic effects. Moreover, it inhibited osteoclast formation in osteoclast precursors, thereby contributing to the prevention of bone resorption, the researchers found.

In light of the findings, ethanol extracts of T. chebula may be an effective botanical chemopreventive agent that can modulate bacteria-induced inflammatory factors involved in gingivitis and periodontitis, the researchers concluded. However, further studies are needed to isolate and identify the beneficial chemical constituents in the extract that could be exploited for pharmaceutical use, such as in mouthwash and other oral hygiene products.

The study, titled “Use of ethanol extracts of Terminalia chebula to prevent periodontal disease induced by dental plaque bacteria”, was published on 16 February in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

The silent threat: Practice embezzlement in dentistry and preventing it

Embezzlement affects more than half of all dental practitioners at some point and often has devastating financial consequences. For over three decades, ...

Fruit leather, chewing gum help reduce errors in panoramic imaging

TABRIZ, Iran: Incorrect tongue placement is the major cause of poor-quality dental radiographs, resulting in radiographic error of 40% to 80%. A recent ...

Preventing peri-implant disease—free webinar

Biofilm formation around implants is the main aetiology of peri-implant inflammation. In a free webinar on Tuesday, 21 April, dentist Dr Viktoriia Gabal ...

Researchers in the UK and India aim to combat antibiotic overprescription in dentistry

LEEDS, England: While antibiotics remain essential for treating infectious diseases, their global efficacy is declining owing to the rise of antimicrobial ...

Interview: Periodontitis and peri-implantitis in implant dentistry

Peri-implantitis continues to be one of the greatest challenges for dental professionals. According to studies, the prevalence of the condition will ...

EFP presents new guideline on Stage IV periodontitis

COPENHAGEN, Denmark: The European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) released new guidance on Stage IV periodontitis on 10 June, marking the completion of ...

Periodontitis increases risk of bacteria in donated blood

COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Recent research from the University of Copenhagen and Næstved Hospital in Denmark has demonstrated that periodontitis leads to an ...

Regedent marks a decade of hyaDENT BG in periodontitis and peri-implantitis treatment at EuroPerio11

VIENNA, Austria: Regedent is marking a major milestone at EuroPerio11 with a symposium highlighting ten years of clinical experience with hyaDENT BG, a ...

Self-care treatments for temporomandibular disorders most beneficial, study finds

NEW YORK, U.S.: Dentists and patients use a variety of treatments to manage temporomandibular disorders (TMD). In a new study, researchers have found that ...

"Our way of preventing oral disease is by remineralising the tooth’s surface"

Our teeth are constantly exposed to mechanical and chemical wear, and with age, our oral immune system becomes less effective at fighting pathogenic ...

Saliva testing could revolutionise periodontitis monitoring, study suggests

PHILADELPHIA, US: Periodontitis is one of the world’s most prevalent health conditions, affecting between 20% and 50% of the global population—roughly ...

Education

On-demand
webinar