By Stephenie Overman
Health-conscious individuals worried about chemicals in mouthwash and teeth cleaners may find green tea an attractive alternative for helping treat chronic periodontitis.
Green tea an attractive alternative for helping treat chronic periodontitis, researchers find
“Green tea intake as a component of nonsurgical periodontal therapy is promising for superior and rapid resolution of the disease process,” according to a study that will be published in Oral Health & Preventive Dentistry. “Green tea increases the total antioxidant capacity of GCF [gingival crevicular fluid] and plasma along with potent anti-inflammatory, astringent and anti-plaque effects.”
An abstract of “Green Tea Intake as an Adjunct to Mechanical Periodontal Therapy for the Management of Mild to Moderate Chronic Periodontitis: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial” was available in PubMed ahead of the print publication. Authors of the study are Aditi Chopra, Betsy S. Thomas, Karthik Sivaraman, Hemanth K. Prasad, Shoba U. Kamath.
In the study, 120 subjects with mild to moderate chronic periodontitis received scaling and root planning. Then green tea supplements were given to the case group and a placebo to the control group. The researchers recorded a number of factors – gingival index, plaque index, clinical probing depth, clinical attachment loss, percentage of sites with bleeding on probing, along with total antioxidant capacity of GCF and plasma – at baseline, one and three months.
“There was a significant improvement in all clinical parameters along with an 8-fold greater antioxidant capacity in GCF in the case group than in the control group,” according to the authors.
A smaller pilot study, this one of 30 patients with mild to moderate chronic periodontitis, found that after four weeks, “green tea showed greater reduction of gingival inflammation and improved periodontal parameters” than a commercial teeth cleaner with fluoride and triclosan.
“Effect of Adjunctive Use of Green Tea Dentifrice in Periodontitis Patients – A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study,” was published last year in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene.
Sources: Oral Health & Preventive Dentistry, May 12, 2016; International Journal of Dental Hygiene, Feb. 17, 2015
