Challenge in Propolis Biocompatibility as a Potential Medicament in Dental Medicine

Abstract

The application of natural materials in biomedicine has developed quite rapidly. Nowadays, such materials' therapeutic properties become a diminishing topic, including the use of bee products. Bees produce several useful products, one of which is propolis. Propolis or "bee glue" is a honeybee product in the form of a mixed resin from the mixture of certain enzymes in bee saliva and beeswax. Research shows that more than 300 active compounds are found in propolis. The active compounds in propolis are useful as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial, antibiofilm, and others. The content and benefits of propolis make it an attractive material to be developed in several dental applications. Some dental literature states that propolis can inhibit oral bacteria activity, a mixture in improving dental materials quality, alternative endodontic regenerative materials, medicament ingredients, post-surgical wound healing, and other uses. By identifying that propolis is a natural ingredient widely used in dentistry, the biocompatibility problem in using propolis must be confirmed before going to the clinical stage. The complex conditions of the oral cavity make the application of propolis have to consider the biocompatibility aspect. Besides that, the regulation for the application of a new material must consider standards guided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare (JMHW), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), requiring producers to carry out adequate testing of their ingredients following biocompatibility evaluation phases as part of the biosafety process and protocols. This study aims to review the biocompatibility of propolis in dentistry. These studies suggested that propolis was sufficiently biocompatible in several dental applications as an alternative medicament at specific concentrations.