Assessment of the Efficiency of Tulsi Extract as a Locally Administered Medication Agent and Its Comparison With Curcumin in the Treatment of Periodontal Pockets

Ankita Agrawal; Anant Ragav Sharma; Varsha Rathod; Anand Bhatnagar; Pallavi Amol Khale; Priyanka Tidke; Dhaval Mehta; Debojyoti Mazumder

doi:10.7759/cureus.54619

Assessment of the Efficiency of Tulsi Extract as a Locally Administered Medication Agent and Its Comparison With Curcumin in the Treatment of Periodontal Pockets

Cureus. 2024 Feb 21;16(2):e54619. doi: 10.7759/cureus.54619. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Authors

Ankita Agrawal¹, Anant Ragav Sharma², Varsha Rathod³, Anand Bhatnagar⁴, Pallavi Amol Khale⁵, Priyanka Tidke⁶, Dhaval Mehta⁷, Debojyoti Mazumder⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Buddha Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Patna, IND.
² Department of Periodontics, Pacific Dental College and Hospital, Udaipur, IND.
³ Department of Periodontology, Dr. D. Y. (Dnyandeo Yashwantrao) Patil School of Dentistry, Navi Mumbai, IND.
⁴ Department of Periodontics, Jaipur Dental College, Jaipur, IND.
⁵ Department of Dentistry, Rajiv Gandhi Medical College and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, Thane, IND.
⁶ Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, MGM (Mahatma Gandhi Mission) Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai, IND.
⁷ Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Narsinbhai Patel Dental College and Hospital, Sankalchand Patel University, Visnagar, IND.
⁸ Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Kusum Devi Sunderlal Dugar Jain Dental College and Hospital, Kolkata, IND.

Abstract

Introduction: The use of locally administered medication (LAM) agents such as minocycline, metronidazole, and tetracycline as antimicrobials has drawbacks, including the development of microorganism resistance, exorbitant pricing, and limited accessibility. Thus, there is a need for safer and more affordable alternatives. Numerous natural therapies have been found to be superior in this situation. In this study, the efficacy of tulsi extract as a LAM agent was assessed and it was compared with curcumin, which is currently used for the treatment of periodontal pockets.

Methods and materials: There were three categories: each category had 30 sites. Category 1 sites underwent scaling along with root planing (SRP) solely, Category 2 sites received curcumin extract as LAM in the periodontal pocket in addition to SRP, and Category 3 sites received tulsi extract as LAM in the periodontal pocket in addition to SRP. The stent was used to ensure consistent and unbiased measurements on the 30th day after treatment. Clinical attachment level (CAL) and probing pocket depth (PPD) were measured at six points around each tooth. Results: The reduction in values of periodontal parameters such as BAPNA (Nα-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide) assays, modified sulcus bleeding index (mSBI), gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), CAL, and PPD in sites within Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3 was statistically significant. The decrease in BAPNA assay results indicates that tulsi extract is more effective than curcumin gel at eradicating red-complex bacteria. Although not significantly different, the decrease in PI and GI was observed to be greater when curcumin jelly was used. This suggests that curcumin jelly has a stronger impact on reducing plaque, which in turn decreases gingival inflammation.

Conclusion: Based on the overall results of the study, it can be said that both tulsi and curcumin have similar effectiveness in reducing periodontal markers.

Keywords: curcumin; locally administered medication; periodontal pocket; scaling; tulsi.