Antibacterial activity of essential oils against periodontal pathogens: a qualitative systematic review.

Periodontal diseases are among the most common infectious diseases that lead to the destruction of periodontal tissues. Anaerobic gram-negative bacteria (Aggregatibacter actinomecetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum...) isolated from periodontal lesions, have been shown to be related to the onset and progression of periodontal disease. Given the incidence of periodontitis, increased resistance of oral bacteria to antibiotics and adverse effects of some antibacterial agents currently used in dentistry, there is a need for alternative products that are safe and effective, for prevention and treatment of these diseases. Essential oils considered traditional medicines are viewed as good alternatives. In Morocco, a wide producer of essential oils, the high prevalence of aggressive periodontitis, related to virulent periodontal bacteria isolated from pockets in Moroccan adolescents and because of the reasons evoked above, the search of a new natural agent has become a necessity. In this qualitative systematic review, the virulence and increased antibiotic resistance of periopathogens, involved in periodontitis, will be exposed, justifying the use of alternative natural agents such as essential oils-based. Studies that have investigated the efficacy of such plant-derived medicines on periodontal pathogens will be described and discussed.