FITOTERAPIA NA PERIODONTIA: USO DE EXTRATOS NATURAIS COMO ADJUVANTES TERAPÊUTICOS: UMA REVISÃO DA LITERATURA

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the supporting tissues of the teeth, being triggered by the presence of bacterial biofilm and modulated by immunological and environmental factors. In recent decades, the search for alternative and complementary therapies has encouraged the study of natural substances with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and healing properties. This work aims to review the recent scientific literature on the use of phytotherapy as an adjuvant in the treatment of periodontal disease. Studies investigating the effectiveness of plant extracts applied mainly in the form of mouthwashes, gels and toothpastes were analyzed. The results show that many of these compounds have beneficial effects comparable to chlorhexidine, but with a lower incidence of adverse effects, such as changes in taste and dental pigmentation. For this research, we used the electronic databases: U.S National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library and Lilacs. In addition, two descriptors were used for the composition of the search key, being the following (MeSH/DeCS). After the research, it is concluded that herbal medicines represent a promising therapeutic alternative in periodontics, especially when associated with conventional oral hygiene techniques, although more standardized clinical trials, with greater methodological rigor, to consolidate its effectiveness and establish safe and reproducible clinical protocols.