role of essential oils in periodontal health: an appraisal of evidence

The objective of this search was to find out "Do essential oils as a therapeutic agent assist in maintenance of periodontal health?" The article is based on a search which was conducted on Medline to identify the studies related to the topic and published up to Sep 2008. Fifty nine articles were retrieved from the search. Four articles were in languages other than English which have not been included in the appraisal. Thirty two articles had information relevant to the search question. Based on the finding of the search it is concluded that essential oil when used as an adjunct to unsupervised oral hygiene can provide additional benefit in reduction of plaque and gingivitis