European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to the destruction of the bone support of the tooth. Its clinical manifestation varies from a simple gingivitis to a periodontitis. The main cause of this pathology is plaque buildup. Various chemical compounds have been introduced with antibacterial and anti-plaque properties. The main one is chlorhexidine gluconate. With the increased use of natural derivative compounds, interest in aloe vera (AV) has increased. AV has various effects on the human being, among which it promotes wound healing, has an anti-inflammatory effect, has an antibacterial and antiviral effect. Therefore the purpose of this review is to evaluate the antibacterial power of an aloe vera based mouthwash formulation. Several articles were considered through a systematic review of the different search engines. Three articles were examined which compared the effectiveness of an aloe vera-based mouthwash with a chlorhexidine-based mouthwash. Experiments on humans have been considered. The 3 papers showed a completely similar efficacy of chlorhexidine compared to aloe vera. In fact, studies have shown that this natural product has the same anti-plaque beneficial effects as chlorhexidine. It does not have the side effects of chlorhexidine. further clinical trials will be needed to assess whether long-term side effects of aloe vera are actually present. The studies analyzed have a short follow-up, so some long-term effects could not be assessed.