ABSTRACT
K. V. KRISHNAMURTHY,1 BIR BAHADUR,2 S. JOHN ADAMS,3 and GAUTAM SRIVASTAVA4
1Consultant, R&D, Sami Labs Ltd., Peenya Industrial Area, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
2Department of Botany, Kakatiya University, Warangal-505009, Telangana, India
3Department of Pharmacognosy, R&D, The Himalaya Drug Company, Makali, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
4Government Dental College and Hospital, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India
Abstract ................................................................................................. 354 13.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 354 13.2 Teeth Cleaning ........................................................................... 355 13.3 Plant-Based Toothbrushes .......................................................... 356 13.4 Toothpastes and Tooth Powders ................................................. 358 13.5 Oral Diseases and Problems ....................................................... 358 13.6 Discussion .................................................................................. 368 Keywords .............................................................................................. 369 References ............................................................................................. 369
ABSTRACT
Oral hygiene and dental care has been the subject of different traditional medicinal systems for a very long time in different parts of the world including India. The ethnic tribals living in different parts of India have been using different plants to up keep their oral hygiene and dentition. They used different parts of these plants to brush their teeth and clean them as well as to prevent various types of oral and dental diseases using powders, pastes or extracts of these plants. This review gives a detailed list of such plants used by tribals in different parts of India. However, it is sad that the chemical basis of such uses as well as the therapeutic efficiency of these plants have not been adequately validated till date. These aspects are discussed in this communication.
