Herbal Medicine and Oral Health: A Review

Abstract

Medicinal plants have been used since ancient times for the treatment of different diseases. Natural sources are one of the important fields of research for preventing immunological complications. Using herbal medicine has decreased as the result of the development of chemical drugs. This review aimed to study herbal medicine regarding the oral cavity. English literature was searched with the terms "herbal medicine and oral cavity" in two data bases of PubMed, and Google scholar among published studies from 2000 to 2015. All review articles, original articles, case reports, and case series were evaluated. This study found that many herbs are used in the treatment of diseases, among which many do not have any side effects. Herbal medicine is a complementary/alternative effective therapy for several diseases. Despite the development of many chemical drugs, using herbal medicine is highly demanded.