Effect of essential oils on oral halitosis treatment: a review

Microfluidic and impedance analysis of rosemary essential oil: implications for dental health

BACKGROUND

Oral health is closely linked to systemic conditions, particularly non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which can exacerbate oral issues. Essential oils (EOs) have emerged as potential alternatives for oral health due to their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Among these, rosemary essential oil (REO) shows promise due to its various biological activities. This study investigates the potential of REO in dental applications using microfluidic devices and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to analyze the electrical properties of REO in artificial saliva (AS) mixtures.

RESULTS

The study demonstrated significant variations in impedance across different REO concentrations and their mixtures with AS. Higher impedance was observed in REO mixtures, particularly at lower frequencies, indicating distinct electrical properties compared to pure AS. The impedance of REO was influenced by its concentration, with a 1% REO solution showing higher impedance than a 4% solution, possibly due to micelle formation and changes in dielectric properties. Additionally, microfluidic devices enabled precise control over fluid interactions and real-time monitoring, offering valuable insights into REO's behavior in a simulated oral environment. The impedance data demonstrated significant differences in REO-AS mixtures, highlighting potential interactions critical for oral care applications.

CONCLUSIONS

Rosemary essential oil exhibits unique electrical properties, making it a promising candidate for dental applications, particularly in preventing and treating oral diseases. Microfluidic devices enhance the accuracy and reliability of studying REO's interactions with AS, providing a robust platform for future dental research. The findings suggest that REO could be effectively incorporated into oral care products, offering a natural alternative for combating oral pathogens, reducing inflammation, and protecting against oxidative stress. Future research should focus on clinical trials to validate these findings and explore the synergistic effects of REO with other essential oils.

Effects of Mint Oils on the Human Oral Microbiome: A Pilot Study

The oral microbiome is a diverse and complex ecosystem essential for maintaining oral and systemic health. Our study is the first to define the oral microbial community in Egyptian young adults and investigate the effects of natural antimicrobials on the oral microbiome. SuperMint (SM) is a proprietary blend of peppermint, Japanese mint, bergamot mint, and spearmint essential oils encapsulated in a tiny soft beadlet. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of SM beadlets on the oral microbiome. This study recruited twenty healthy participants. A baseline investigation of the oral microbiome of the selected participants was performed by collecting saliva and swab samples before treatment. Treatment included chewing four SM beadlets twice a day for 7 days, and then, post-administration saliva and swab samples were collected at the end of treatment. The oral microbiome samples were analyzed by the high-throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments, and the community composition was determined. The results showed that the abundance of some microbial genera and families decreased after using SM, including Prevotella, Streptococcus, Neisseria, and Haemophilus. However, some genera showed inconsistent patterns. We also found that the subject's gender and SM usage were significantly associated with diverse microbial composition. The results suggest that SM treatment decreased the abundance of several bacteria associated with halitosis and periodontal diseases, such as Actinomyces and Streptococcus. Furthermore, Corynebacterium species increased and Streptococcus decreased after SM usage. More research is needed to fully understand the antimicrobial effects of mint oils and their potential applications in maintaining good oral health.

Lavandula angustifolia Essential Oil Inhibits the Ability of Fusobacterium nucleatum to Produce Volatile Sulfide Compounds, a Key Components in Oral Malodor

Oral malodor still constitutes a major challenge worldwide. A strong effort is invested in eliminating volatile sulfur compound-producing oral bacteria through organic natural products such as essential oils. Fusobacterium nucleatum is a known volatile sulfur compound-producing bacteria that inspires oral malodor. The aim of the present study was to test the effect of lavender essential oil on the bacterium's ability to produce volatile sulfide compounds, the principal components of oral malodor. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed using GC-MS. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of lavender essential oil on Fusobacterium nucleatum was determined in a previous trial. Fusobacterium nucleatum was incubated anaerobically in the presence of sub-MIC, MIC, and above MIC concentrations of lavender essential oil, as well as saline and chlorhexidine as negative and positive controls, respectively. Following incubation, volatile sulfur compound levels were measured using GC (Oralchroma), and bacterial cell membrane damage was studied using fluorescence microscopy. Chemical analysis of lavender essential oil yielded five main components, with camphor being the most abundant, accounting for nearly one-third of the total lavender essential oil volume. The MIC (4 µL/mL) of lavender essential oil reduced volatile sulfur compound secretion at a statistically significant level compared to the control (saline). Furthermore, the level of volatile sulfur compound production attributed to 1 MIC of lavender essential oil was in the range of the positive control chlorhexidine with no significant difference. When examining bacterial membrane damage, 2 MIC of lavender essential oil (i.e., 8 µL/mL) demonstrated the same, showing antibacterial membrane damage values comparative to chlorhexidine. Since lavender essential oil was found to be highly effective in hindering volatile sulfur compound production by Fusobacterium nucleatum through the induction of bacterial cell membrane damage, the results suggest that lavender essential oil may be a suitable alternative to conventional chemical-based anti-malodor agents.

Randomized controlled clinical trial on the efficacy of a novel antimicrobial chewing gum in reducing plaque and gingivitis in adolescent orthodontic patients

OBJECTIVES

Chewing gums containing antiseptics or other antimicrobial substances may be effective in reducing plaque and gingivitis. Therefore, the aim of this randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial was to investigate the efficacy of a novel antimicrobial chewing gum containing essential oils (cinnamon, lemon, peppermint) and extracts on reduction of dental plaque and gingivitis as well as on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in adolescent orthodontic patients.

MATERIALS

52 patients (11-22 years of age) were randomly assigned to use a test chewing gum (COVIDGUM, Clevergum) or a commercially available control chewing gum over a period of 10 days. Approximal plaque index (API), papillary bleeding index (PBI) and an OHRQoL questionnaire for children (COHIP-G19) were assessed at baseline (BL), after 10 days (10d) and 30 days (30d). In addition, oral health and oral hygiene related questions of the COHIP-G19 questionnaire were evaluated separately in subscales at each timepoint. Data were analyzed using non-parametrical statistical procedures (α = 0.05).

RESULTS

API and PBI decreased significantly over time from BL to 10d and from BL to 30d in both groups, without significant differences between the groups. In both groups, the COHIP-G19 score, oral health subscale and oral hygiene subscale decreased significantly over time. Regarding the oral hygiene subscale, the test group showed significantly better scores at 30d (p = 0.011).

CONCLUSION

Both chewing gums performed similarly effective in terms of reducing plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation and improving OHRQoL.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Chewing gums without antimicrobial ingredients may be sufficient to decrease plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation.

Effectiveness of Mouthwashes in Managing Oral Diseases and Conditions: Do They Have a Role?

Antimicrobial mouthwashes are considered to reduce dental plaque biofilm and thus the potential to prevent plaque-induced oral diseases, particularly periodontal diseases. The effectiveness of mouthwashes relates to this antiplaque role, as well as, their tooth-whitening potential and ability to mask/mange malodour (halitosis). There is also a growing interest in the use of mouthwashes as an adjunctive measure in post surgical and post-dental care, while the COVID-19 pandemic has given a new lease of life to mouthwashes as an oral antispetic that may be useful in reducing the oral viral load. The mode of action of mouthwashes varies, depending on their active ingredients, concentrations, and mode and frequency of use, as does their potential effectiveness. This article aims to provide a narrative overview of the evidence of the effectiveness of the most widely used mouthwashes in managing oral diseases, oral conditions, and adjunctive care roles.

Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of Elsholtzia ciliate essential oil against halitosis-related Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis

The broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of Elsholtzia ciliate essential oil (ECO) has been previously reported, but its effectiveness against halitosis-causing bacteria such as Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the bacteriostatic activity of ECO against planktonic cells and biofilms of F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis, as well as its ability to inhibit bacterial metabolism and production of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) at sub-lethal concentrations. Our findings revealed that ECO exhibited comparable activities to chlorhexidine against these oral bacteria. Treatment with ECO significantly reduced the production of VSCs, including hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and methanethiol, which are major contributors to bad breath. As the major chemical components of ECO, carvacrol, p-cymene, and phellandrene, were demonstrated in vitro inhibitory effects on F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis, and their combined use showed synergistic and additive effects, suggesting that the overall activity of ECO is derived from the cumulative or synergistic effect of multiple active components. ECO was found to have a destructive effect on the bacterial cell membrane by examining the cell morphology and permeability. Furthermore, the application of ECO induced significant changes in the bacterial composition of saliva-derived biofilm, resulting in the elimination of bacterial species that contribute to halitosis, including Fusobacterium, Porphyromonas, and Prevotella. These results provide experimental evidence for the potential clinical applications of ECOs in the prevention and treatment of halitosis.

Oral Microbiome: Getting to Know and Befriend Neighbors, a Biological Approach

The oral microbiome, forming a biofilm that covers the oral structures, contains a high number of microorganisms. Biofilm formation starts from the salivary pellicle that allows bacterial adhesion-colonization-proliferation, co-aggregation and biofilm maturation in a complex microbial community. There is a constant bidirectional crosstalk between human host and its oral microbiome. The paper presents the fundamentals regarding the oral microbiome and its relationship to modulator factors, oral and systemic health. The modern studies of oral microorganisms and relationships with the host benefits are based on genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Pharmaceuticals such as antimicrobials, prebiotics, probiotics, surface active or abrasive agents and plant-derived ingredients may influence the oral microbiome. Many studies found associations between oral dysbiosis and systemic disorders, including autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular, diabetes, cancers and neurodegenerative disorders. We outline the general and individual factors influencing the host-microbial balance and the possibility to use the analysis of the oral microbiome in prevention, diagnosis and treatment in personalized medicine. Future therapies should take in account the restoration of the normal symbiotic relation with the oral microbiome.

Exploring the Potential of Natural Product-Based Nanomedicine for Maintaining Oral Health

Oral diseases pose a major threat to public health across the globe. Diseases such as dental caries, periodontitis, gingivitis, halitosis, and oral cancer affect people of all age groups. Moreover, unhealthy diet practices and the presence of comorbidities aggravate the problem even further. Traditional practices such as the use of miswak for oral hygiene and cloves for toothache have been used for a long time. The present review exhaustively explains the potential of natural products obtained from different sources for the prevention and treatment of dental diseases. Additionally, natural medicine has shown activity in preventing bacterial biofilm resistance and can be one of the major forerunners in the treatment of oral infections. However, in spite of the enormous potential, it is a less explored area due to many setbacks, such as unfavorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. Nanotechnology has led to many advances in the dental industry, with various applications ranging from maintenance to restoration. However, can nanotechnology help in enhancing the safety and efficacy of natural products? The present review discusses these issues in detail.

Annual review of selected scientific literature: A report of the Committee on Scientific Investigation of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry

The Scientific Investigation Committee of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry offers this review of the 2020 professional literature in restorative dentistry to inform busy dentists regarding noteworthy scientific and clinical progress over the past year. Each member of the committee brings discipline-specific expertise to this work to cover this broad topic. Specific subject areas addressed include prosthodontics; periodontics, alveolar bone, and peri-implant tissues; implant dentistry; dental materials and therapeutics; occlusion and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs); sleep-related breathing disorders; oral medicine and oral and maxillofacial surgery; and dental caries and cariology. The authors focused their efforts on reporting information likely to influence day-to-day dental treatment decisions with a keen eye on future trends in the profession. With the tremendous volume of dentistry and related literature being published today, this review cannot possibly be comprehensive. The purpose is to update interested readers and provide important resource material for those interested in pursuing greater detail. It remains our intent to assist colleagues in navigating the extensive volume of important information being published annually. It is our hope that readers find this work useful in successfully managing the dental patients they encounter.

Oral probiotic activities and biosafety of Lactobacillus gasseri HHuMIN D

Background

Lactobacillus spp. have been researched worldwide and are used in probiotics, but due to difficulties with laboratory cultivation of and experimentation on oral microorganisms, there are few reports of Lactobacillus spp. being isolated from the oral cavity and tested against oral pathogens. This research sought to isolate and determine the safety and inhibitory capabilities of a Lactobacillus culture taken from the human body.

Results

One organism was isolated, named “L. gasseri HHuMIN D”, and evaluated for safety. A 5% dilution of L. gasseri HHuMIN D culture supernatant exhibited 88.8% inhibition against halitosis-producing anaerobic microorganisms and the organism itself exhibited powerful inhibitory effects on the growth of 11 oral bacteria. Hydrogen peroxide production reached 802 μmol/L after 12 h and gradually diminished until 24 h, it efficiently aggregated with P. catoniae and S. sanguinis, and it completely suppressed S. mutans-manufactured artificial dental plaque. L. gasseri HHuMIN D’s KB cell adhesion capacity was 4.41 cells per cell, and the cell adhesion of F. nucleatum and S. mutans diminished strongly in protection and displacement assays.

Conclusion

These results suggest that L. gasseri HHuMIN D is a safe, bioactive, lactobacterial food ingredient, starter culture, and/or probiotic microorganism for human oral health.