Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia
How Can Eucalyptus Oil Help Your Oral Health?

How Can Eucalyptus Oil Help Your Oral Health?

Listen to this article
0:00/0:00

New study evaluates the antibacterial properties of eucalyptus oil (EO) against two main oral disease pathogens, Streptococcus mutans, and Enterococci faecalis.

Highlights:
  • Antibiotic-resistant oral pathogens pose a significant threat to oral health.
  • Alternative oral hygiene measures are needed to combat the growth of these pathogens
  • Eucalyptus oil exhibits promising antibacterial properties and can be used as an effective tool against oral pathogens.s
Maintaining good oral health is crucial for overall well-being, and preventing oral diseases is an important aspect of oral care.
Traditional oral hygiene measures often involve the use of chemical-based products, but there is a growing interest in natural alternatives. Eucalyptus oil, known for its aromatic properties, has recently been studied for its potential benefits in oral health.

Tooth decay is a prominent oral health problem that affects almost all adults worldwide. In this disease, tooth structure demineralizes through repetitive cycles of bacterial-induced acid attack, leading to color change and loss of tooth structure.

This could be prevented and intervened in the early stages before tooth destruction via non-invasive approaches. One of the most effective approaches to controlling caries progression involves using chlorohexidine-containing products (1 Trusted Source
Application of Antibiotics/Antimicrobial Agents on Dental Caries

Go to source
).

However, there is a significant concern as pathogens present in the mouth that cause decay may develop resistance against chlorohexidine. Therefore, inventing new approaches to target oral pathogens without inducing antibiotic resistance is essential.

Consequences of Antibiotic Resistance in Treating Tooth Decay

If left untreated, tooth decay can lead to infection caused by microorganisms. In such situations, dentists often recommend root canal treatment (RCT), which involves thorough mechanical and chemical cleaning of the tooth root.

However, in certain cases, there is a risk of reinfection after root canal treatment, particularly due to the presence of oral bacteria such as Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis).

Several therapeutic approaches have been proposed to control decay and root canal reinfections. While the two diseases have different clinical management, using some medicaments, such as chlorohexidine or antibiotics, has been suggested. The main concern related to using these medicaments is the possibility of inducing bacterial resistance (2 Trusted Source
Enterococcus faecalis: Its Role in Root Canal Treatment Failure and Current Concepts in Retreatment

Go to source
).

Advertisement
Throughout the history of humankind, several natural compounds have been utilized to cure diseases and kill microbes. However, the evidence for using these compounds still needs to be more substantial and worthy of being discovered.

There is a plethora of evidence supporting using essential oils as antimicrobial compounds to kill viruses, fungi, and bacteria. Among them, eucalyptus oil (EO) was barely explored for its antimicrobial properties.

Effect of Eucalyptus Oil on Oral Pathogen Biofilms

In one such attempt, Eucalyptus oil was mixed with brain-heart infusion (BHI) broth infused with 2% sucrose at a 1:4 ratio to assess its efficacy against oral pathogens.

Advertisement
The study had two groups: experimental and control. Both experimental and control groups were incubated with an overnight culture of S. mutans and E. faecalis strains.

Following 24 hours, S. mutans growth in samples treated with eucalyptus oil dilution revealed a significant total absorbance reduction compared to the control. The mean average of the control samples’ total absorbance was 0.74 compared to 0.05 for those treated with eucalyptus oil dilution (3 Trusted Source
Essential oils as adjuvants in endodontic therapy: myth or reality?

Go to source
).

Similarly, the eucalyptus oil significantly inhibited the S. mutans biofilm growth when it was incubated for 24 hours. These results indicate that eucalyptus oil, as an essential oil, can be used to prevent decay-related pathogens’ growth.

It has been suggested that 1,8-cineole, the major component of EC, is the potent antimicrobial ingredient, as it has been found effective against many bacteria, fungi, and viruses. This compound can induce oxidative stress, causing bacterial death.

Besides its antimicrobial action, EO can improve the efficiency of other conjugated antibacterial compounds, allowing more biofilm penetration and inhibition. All these observations encourage the use of EO as a natural therapeutic approach in dentistry to handle microbial resistance (4 Trusted Source
Effect of eucalyptus oil on Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus faecalis growth

Go to source
).

EO can also be cost-effectively incorporated into different oral health products, such as toothpaste and mouthwash, to minimize pathogen load and reduce decay incidence. Besides, it can be functionalized into a dental varnish or topically applied agent to arrest carious lesions.

Future studies assessing the use and safety of EO in other dental problems should encourage people to make Eucalyptus oil (EO) a part of their oral hygiene regimen.

References:
  1. Application of Antibiotics/Antimicrobial Agents on Dental Caries - (https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2020/5658212/)
  2. Enterococcus faecalis: Its Role in Root Canal Treatment Failure and Current Concepts in Retreatment - (https://www.jendodon.com/article/S0099-2399(05)00093-2/fulltext)
  3. Essential oils as adjuvants in endodontic therapy: myth or reality? - (https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/fmb-2022-0115)
  4. Effect of eucalyptus oil on Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus faecalis growth - (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41405-023-00154-8)


Source-Medindia


Advertisement

Home

Consult

e-Book

Articles

News

Calculators

Drugs

Directories

Education

Consumer

Professional