Traditional Chinese Medicine for Periodontal Care–Rationale and Scientific Evidence

Abstract

Objective: Periodontal disease is one of the major global oral health burdens, and severe periodontitis remains the primary cause of tooth loss in adult population worldwide. Current scientific evidence shows that periodontal destruction largely results from pathogenic plaque biofilm-induced, uncontrolled immuno-inflammatory responses that are significantly influenced by genetic, epigenetic and environmental/acquired risk factors in susceptible individuals. Host modulatory therapy is therefore increasingly recognized as an important approach in effective management of periodontal disease. This presentation will highlight the current concepts of periodontal etiopathogenesis and elaborate the rationale of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a potential adjunct to periodontal treatment. Recent relevant research findings are presented and discussed. Methods: The work to be presented is based upon the critical review of key scientific literature in periodontal etiopathogenesis, rationale of host modulatory therapy, and the related TCM studies for periodontal care.

Results: TCM as the ‘medicine of balance’ has its great advantage in host modulation. It has been used as an adjunct for treating chronic inflammatory diseases like periodontal disease for many years. The recent in vitro and in vivo studies show that TCM may significantly modulate bacteria-induced host inflammatory response and contribute to controlling periodontal disease.

Conclusion: Emerging evidence shows that TCM may be a potential host response modulator for adjunctive treatment of periodontal disease. Further basic, translational and clinical studies are highly warranted. This work was supported by Hong Kong Research Grants Council (HKU766909M, HKU768411M and HKU767512 M), and the Modern Dental Laboratory/HKU Endowment Fund.

This abstract is based on research that was funded entirely or partially by an outside source: The work was supported by Hong Kong Research Grants Council (HKU766909M, HKU768411M and HKU767512 M), and the Modern Dental Laboratory/HKU Endowment Fund.