Publication

Abstract : Plaque biofilm that adheres to tooth surfaces and gingiva is the main aetiology of periodontitis. Chlorhexidine (CHX) is considered as a gold standard anti-plaque and anti-gingivitis agent but it has side effects such as permanent staining of teeth and dysgeusia. Tea tree oil (TTO) is an essential oil extracted from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia. Many studies have reported that TTO exerts strong antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities. The review aims to answer the question of whether TTO (intervention) is a viable alternative to CHX (comparator) for the management of gingival and periodontal disease (outcomes) in adolescents and adults (population). The following search terms were used in PubMed, Scopus, Proquest, Web of Science, EBSCO (dentistry and open access), Cochrane database, Clinical.gov.org and ctri.nic.in to search for relevant articles: patients with periodontal disease; OR periodontitis; OR gingivitis; OR gingival inflammation; AND essential oil; OR tea tree oil; OR Melaleuca alternifolia; AND chlorhexidine; AND reduction in gingival index; OR reduction in plaque index; OR reduction in bleeding from gums. The initial check for the title and abstract screening followed by removal of duplicates in Mendeley Reference Manager (version 1.19.4) based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria were performed. Parameters such as plaque index (PI), plaque surface score, gingival index (GI), bleeding index or bleeding as measured by % of sites with bleeding on probing (BOP) or bleeding scores, papillary bleeding index (PBI), were the primary outcomes considered. TTO is found to be superior to CHX in reducing signs of gingival inflammation; however, CHX is superior to TTO in inhibiting plaque formation, probably due to its increased substantivity. TTO may be used as an alternative to CHX for reduction of gingival inflammation in conjunction with efficient plaque control measures.