Lemongrass essential oil gel as a local drug delivery agent for the treatment of periodontitis

Abstract

Background:It has been long recognized that periodontal diseases are infections of the periodontium, comprising the bacterial etiology, an immune response, and tissue destruction. Treatment strategies aiming primarily at suppressing or eliminating specific periodontal pathogens include adjunct use of local and systemic antibiotics as part of nonsurgical periodontal therapy. Unwanted side effects and resistance of microorganisms toward antibiotics due to their widespread use have modified the general perception about their efficacy. Research in phytosciences has revealed various medicinal plants offering a new choice of optional antimicrobial therapy. Cymbopogon citratus, Stapf. (lemongrass) is a popular medicinal plant. At a concentration ≤2%, lemongrass essential oil inhibits the growth of several kinds of microorganisms including periodontal pathogens, especially the reference strains Actinomyces naeslundii and Porphyromonas gingivalis, which were resistant to tetracycline hydrochloride.Aims:To evaluate the efficacy of locally delivered 2% lemongrass essential oil in gel form as an adjunct to scaling and root planing, as compared to scaling and root planing alone for the treatment of chronic periodontitis.Materials and Methods:2% Lemongrass essential oil gel was prepared and placed in moderate to deep periodontal pockets after scaling and root planing.Results:Statistically significant reduction in probing depth and gingival index and gain in relative attachment level were noted in the experimental group as compared to the control group at 1 and 3 months.Conclusion:Locally delivered 2% lemongrass essential oil gel offers a new choice of safe and effective adjunct to scaling and root planing in periodontal therapy.

Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antifungal activity of Lippia Thymoide essential oil in oral pathogens

“…Studies such as Warad et al 25 (2013) and Mandras et al 27 (2016) reported excellent therapeutic properties of essential oils in a variety of aerobic, anaerobic and fungal microorganisms. In our study we used Lt as the herbal medicine of choice; Lt is a native species of Brazilian vegetation, popularly used to treat various pathologies.…”

“…In an attempt to resolve such complications and promote more effective and less harmful treatment, different therapeutic alternatives may be tested such as the herbal medicine [25][26][27][43][44][45] .…”

“…The use of phytotherapy is a part of popular medicine, mainly in the Amazon region (northern Brazil). Several studies have shown that medicinal plants sources are abundant in active biological compounds [25][26][27] . In recent years, the number of studies about medicinal plants has increased and through the results of these studies, we verified that medicinal plants have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, fungicidal and adverse effects on its extracts and essential oil which shows the great potential for several therapeutic applications [43][44][45][46][47] .…”

“…Medicinal plants (MP) or essential oils (EO) usage as treatment or adjunctive therapy for various pathologies has been a practice since antiquity folk medicine, although MP and EO have been used for several years by ancient societies [24][25][26][27][28] . In Brazil the scientific and commercial interesting upon natural substances like EO increased in recent years, so naturally the number of studies trying to understand EO medicinal and dental properties such as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and/or antifungal effects enlarged [24][25][26][27][28] . In dental medicine, oral hygiene products based on EO have been used and one of the substances mainly used is thymol, it has been shown that thymol is an alternative mouthwash due to its potential anti-inflammatory, fungicidal and bactericidal action may serve as medical coadjutant against PD and oral candidiasis 27,28 .…”

Clinical efficacy of intrapocket application of cymbopogon citratus gel as adjunctive to non-surgical therapy in egyptian patients with moderate periodontitis

“…Combining local delivery antibiotic agents with scaling and root planning became needed to achieve the periodontal therapy goal as reduction periodontal pocket depth and gaining clinical attachment level. Many commercial local delivery antimicrobial agents are available, but the demand for inexpensive, safe, and effective agents has encouraged the use of natural extracts (28) . In this study, we used 2% concentration of lemongrass essential oil gel as an adjunct to the conventional therapy of moderate periodontitis.…”