ABSTRACT
The term “nutraceutical” combines the two key phrases “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical.” Nutraceuticals are mostly food or dietary components important in changing and maintaining healthy human physiological functions. Stephen DeFelice, a nutritionist and pharmacist who served as president of the Foundation of Innovation Medicine, first coined the phrase “nutraceutical” in 1989. Nutraceutical is a food or component that offers medicinal or health advantages, such as the prevention and treatment of disease. According to the Greek physician Hippocrates, who is regarded as the father of medicine, the principle underlying nutraceuticals is to emphasise prevention. He once said, “Let food be your medicine.” One of the most crucial fields of research focuses on their role in human nutrition, which has profound ramifications for consumers, healthcare professionals, regulators, food producers, and distributors.
Depending on the source, different goods connected to nutraceuticals are defined differently. These goods are categorised by their natural origins, pharmacological conditions, and chemical makeup. Nutraceuticals are divided into four groups: pharmaceuticals, functional foods, dietary supplements, and therapeutic foods. Nutraceutical products can be considered non-specific biological medicines to improve overall health, manage symptoms, and fend off cancer. Inadequate nutritional support by an overall compromised immune system mainly brings on gum disease and periodontal disease. Therefore, after recovering from dental work, there is a more significant need to satisfy the nutritional needs of the mouth cavity. Nutrition plays a massive part in dental health, primarily oral and periodontal health. So, this editorial gives an insight into these nutraceuticals and their different roles in preventing oral and periodontal diseases.
