Evaluation of Calendula officinalis as an anti-plaque and anti-gingivitis agent

Abstract

Background:Calendula officinalis (C. officinalis), commonly known as pot marigold, is a medicinal herb with excellent antimicrobial, wound healing, and anti-inflammatory activity.Aim:To evaluate the efficacy of C. officinalis in reducing dental plaque and gingival inflammation.Materials and Methods:Two hundred and forty patients within the age group of 20-40 years were enrolled in this study with their informed consent. Patients having gingivitis (probing depth (PD) ≤3 mm), with a complaint of bleeding gums were included in this study. Patients with periodontitis PD ≥ 4 mm, desquamative gingivitis, acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG), smokers under antibiotic coverage, and any other history of systemic diseases or conditions, including pregnancy, were excluded from the study. The subjects were randomly assigned into two groups – test group (n = 120) and control group (n = 120). All the test group patients were advised to dilute 2 ml of tincture of calendula with 6 ml of distilled water and rinse their mouths once in the morning and once in the evening for six months. Similarly, the control group patients were advised to use 8 ml distilled water (placebo) as control mouthwash and rinse mouth twice daily for six months. Clinical parameters like the plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), and oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S) were recorded at baseline (first visit), third month (second visit), and sixth month (third visit) by the same operator, to rule out variable results. During the second visit, after recording the clinical parameters, each patient was subjected to undergo a thorough scaling procedure. Patients were instructed to carry out regular routine oral hygiene maintenance without any reinforcement in it.Results:In the absence of scaling (that is, between the first and second visit), the test group showed a statistically significant reduction in the scores of PI, GI, SBI (except OHI-S) (P < 0.05), whereas, the control group showed no reduction in scores when the baseline scores were compared with the third month scores. Also, when scaling was performed during the third month (second visit), there was statistically significant reduction in the scores of all parameters, when the third month scores were compared with the sixth month scores in both groups (P < 0.05), but the test group showed a significantly greater reduction in the PI, GI, SBI, and OHI-S scores compared to those of the control group.Conclusion:Within the limits of this study, it can be concluded that calendula mouthwash is effective in reducing dental plaque and gingivitis adjunctive to scaling.

Effects of Herbal Mouthwashes on Plaque and Inflammation Control for Patients with Gingivitis: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

“…Eight studies [20,22,41,42,[44][45][46][47] with 287 participants evaluated the effects of herbal and CHX mouthwashes. All the included studies were carried out after the year 2000, and nine [17,18,20,22,24,[42][43][44]47] were performed after the year 2010, indicating that the popularity of the herbal mouthwashes might be growing. Six studies [22,24,42,43,45,46] had a balanced gender ratio, and five studies [18,20,[44][45][46] excluded all the smokers in their samples.…”

“…All the included studies were carried out after the year 2000, and nine [17,18,20,22,24,[42][43][44]47] were performed after the year 2010, indicating that the popularity of the herbal mouthwashes might be growing. Six studies [22,24,42,43,45,46] had a balanced gender ratio, and five studies [18,20,[44][45][46] excluded all the smokers in their samples. e details of interventions were provided in Table 1.…”

“…e most commonly used herb-or plant-derived substance reported in the selected studies was green tea extract [17,21,42,47], followed by neem [20,42,46] and marigold [18,21,22]. e commercial essential oil-containing mouthwashes were also used in some studies [24,43,46], which usually consist of eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate, and thymol.…”

“…It has been recently reported that a considerable number of herbal mouthwashes have achieved encouraging results in plaque and gingivitis control [15,16]. Herbal mouthwashes are designed and prepared with extracts and essential oils from phytotherapeutic plants, containing a mixture of active agents such as catechins, tannins, and sterols [17,18]. e mixture of natural compounds inside the herb-or plant-derived substances usually performs gentle remedial effects.…”

The Phytochemical Constitution of Maltese Medicinal Plants – Propagation, Isolation and Pharmacological Testing

“…The marigold has been investigated for its anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory [116,117], antitumour [110] activities, effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems [118,119] as well as oestrogenic [120], hypolipidaemic [121], anti-ulcer [122] and spermicidal properties [123].…”