Moringa oleifera and its application in dental conditions: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Moringa oleifera is a considerable ethnomedical herb with various bioactive compounds. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of M. oleifera in the prevention and management of various oral conditions. A thorough search was conducted on the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and PubMed Central databases. After screening the data on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 9 studies were considered for further meta-analysis. The analysis was performed on R programming software (version R-4.0.2) and the results were represented by a forest plot. The estimate obtained via common and random effects model for in vitro studies was statistically insignificant (I2 test P > 0.05) with risk ratios of 8.25 (95% CI: 3.76-18.08) and 7.98 (95% CI: 3.64-17.50) and for in vivo studies were statistically significant (I² test P )0.05 < with risk ratios of 1.12 (95% CI: 0.90-1.40) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.71-1.32), indicating the efficacy of M. oleifera in oral diseases on animal and clinical trials, whereas it failed to report the efficacy on in vitro level. Future research has to be done to come up with new and more phytoactive compounds from all parts of the plant with proper extraction procedures. The effectiveness of the compounds has to be validated first on in vitro scale followed by clinical trials so that M. oleifera can be used as therapy in preventing and managing oral ailments.

Keywords: Ethnomedicine, Drumstick plant, Oral cancer, Periodontitis, Dental caries, Gingivitis