Antioxidant-Essential Oil Gel as a Treatment for Gingivitis in Orthodontic Patients

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment effect of an antioxidant-essential oil gel on orthodontic patients with generalized gingivitis. The gel contains the essential oils menthol and thymol, and the antioxidants ferulic acid and phloretin.

Thirty patients from the Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry orthodontic clinic were screened for gingivitis, and randomly allocated into treatment and placebo-control groups. Each patient was evaluated at three orthodontic treatment visits (T1, T2, and T3). A periodontal examination, including probing depths (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), gingival index (GI), and plaque index (PI) was performed at each visit. Between T1 and T2, patients were instructed to apply a topical gel (active or placebo) to their gingiva twice daily, after brushing. From T2 to T3 patients were instructed to discontinue use of the gel.

The treatment group showed statistically significant (p<.05) reductions of BOP (- 13.6 percentage points) and GI (-0.14) between T1 and T2, and significant increases in BOP (13.3 percentage points) and GI (0.14) between T2 and T3. Except for an increase in the GI between T2 and T3, the control group showed no significant changes in BOP or GI over time. The only other significant changes that occurred pertained to the treatment group, which showed significant increases in PD (0.08mm) and PI (0.18) between T2 and T3.

Application of a topical antioxidant-essential oil gel is an effective means of reducing inflammation in orthodontic patients with gingivitis.