Antibacterial Activity of Curcumin Against Periodontal Pathogens: A Systematic Review

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#anti-bacterial-agents #biofilms #curcumin #humans #periodontal-diseases

Antibacterial Activity of Curcumin Against Periodontal Pathogens: A Systematic Review

Fakheran et al., 2021 | Adv Exp Med Biol | Systematic Review

Citation

Fakheran Omid, Khademi Abbasali, ... Sahebkar Amirhossein. Antibacterial Activity of Curcumin Against Periodontal Pathogens: A Systematic Review. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1291:239-249. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-56153-6_14

Abstract

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by destruction of the supporting structures of teeth caused by development of dental plaques and accumulation of microorganism around the gingival tissue. Curcumin has been shown to improve clinical parameters in periodontal diseases. However, the efficacy of curcumin in the elimination of periodontal pathogens is not clearly defined. The purpose of this study was to carry out a systematic review of the antibacterial activity of curcumin against periodontal pathogens. An electronic literature search in Medline, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, Cochrane library, and Google scholar was performed up to February 29, 2020, to identify studies assessing the antibacterial activity of curcumin against periodontal pathogens. From 1238 publications, three clinical trials and five in vitro studies met the eligibility criteria. All three clinical studies reported improvement in restoring gingival health in clinical and microbiological parameters, following adjunctive use of curcumin for treatment of periodontitis. All five in vitro studies showed that curcumin could inhibit the growth of bacterial strains. Three of the five in vitro studies evaluated the effect of curcumin on mixed biofilm of periopathogens, which showed a significant inhibitory effect of curcumin on periodontal biofilms. This systematic review found that curcumin has antibacterial activity against periopathogens. The anti-biofilm activity of curcumin is reported as one of the mechanisms for this phenomenon. Curcumin could improve the clinical parameters of periodontal tissue not only by inhibition of the pathogens but also by modulating the host response.

Key Findings

Curcumin could improve the clinical parameters of periodontal tissue not only by inhibition of the pathogens but also by modulating the host response.

Outcomes Measured

  • inflammatory markers

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Biofilms
  • Curcumin
  • Humans
  • Periodontal Diseases
  • Periodontitis

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Systematic Review
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: curcumin

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09