Four common herbs seen in dental practice: properties and potential adverse effects

Potential Oral Health Benefits of Ginseng and Its Extracts

This review discusses the effects of ginseng and its extracts in the treatment of dental caries, periodontal diseases, endodontic diseases, oral cancers, oral mucosal diseases, and some other dental associations. In the meantime, bioavailability and safety application of ginseng products are discussed. All of the articles reviewed were from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, and VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals Full-Text Database through November 2022, including full-text English or non-English publications. Ginseng and its extracts were shown to have beneficial effects on oral diseases, and further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms and confirm the effects in humans.

A review of drugs that contribute to bleeding risk in general dental practice

The risk of postoperative bleeding is a daily concern for many general dental practitioners. A thorough medical and medication history must be taken to consider all risk factors, particularly drugs, that contribute to bleeding risk. While the risk from drugs such as aspirin, warfarin and clopidogrel are well known, the extent to which new antiplatelet agents and direct oral anticoagulants affect bleeding risk is less well understood. In addition, there are drugs other than antithrombotics, such as antidepressants and complementary medicines that also impair haemostasis. The aim of this paper is to provide dentists with an updated overview of the drugs commonly encountered in general dental practice that can contribute to a patient's postoperative bleeding risk.

Herbs as an antioxidant arsenal for periodontal diseases

Herbal medicines have long been used as a traditional mode of therapy for various ailments in India. They are being used increasingly as dietary supplements to ward off common diseases. Periodontal diseases are highly prevalent and can affect up to 90% of the world population. Gingivitis is the mild form whereas periodontitis results in an irreversible loss of supporting structures of the teeth. Even though periodontal pathogens form a crucial component in the etiopathogenesis of periodontitis, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting oxidative stress playing a pivotal role in the disease initiation and progression. Studies have shown a direct correlation between increased levels of biomarkers for tissue damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) to the severity of periodontal disease. Thus, the focus of attention has revolved back to herbal medicines due to their wide spectrum of biological and medicinal activities, lower costs, and higher safety margin. Internet databases Pubmed and Google Scholar were searched, and the most relevant articles were considered for review. This review briefly describes the various herbs with antioxidant capacity and their potency in the treating periodontal disease.

Protective effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on ligature-induced periodontitis in rats

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the systemic administration of extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGb) would prevent excessive tissue destruction in ligature-induced periodontitis in a rat model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-two male Wistar albino rats were used in the current study. The rats were randomly divided into four groups of eight rats each: (1) non-ligated treatment (NL) group, (2) ligature-only (LO) group, (3) ligature plus GB28 (28 mg/kg, daily for 11 days) group and (4) ligature plus GB56 (56 mg/kg, daily for 11 days) group.

RESULTS

Measurement of alveolar bone loss in the mandibular molar tooth revealed significantly lower bone loss values in the LO group compared to groups NL, GB28 and GB56 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The present results are the first data which suggests that host response in periodontitis can be modified by EGb administration. EGb minimized progression of periodontal disease.

Medical legal complications of cutaneous surgery

Complications in surgery are an unfavorable outcome as a result of a procedure. These can occur intraoperatively, immediately after or in the distant future. Minimizing the risk and prompt treatment of complications is important to avoid potentially disastrous outcomes. This article will review the more common complications of cutaneous surgery and then analyze the legal consequences of these complications.