FUNCTIONAL FOODS: GREEN TEA AND ORAL HEALTH

Aim: The definition of “functional foods” is: “healthful foods or food ingredients that have a potential health benefit beyond their nutrient content when consumed regularly in typical quantities as part of a varied diet”. Aim of this study was to evaluate the health-promoting effects of green tea on oral health. Methods: This review was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. In vivo studies on dentate humans were included without restriction on language and year of publication. Literature searches were performed using MedLine (PubMed), Scholar and Scopus. The following characteristics were collected :study year, type and setting; age, size and recruitment sample; case and control interventions; pre-treatment and cointervention; vehicle, daily dose and the total dose; consumption frequency and length; wash out period in RCTs with cross-over design; follow-up, drop-out and sample size at follow-up. Results: Ten studies were included in this review. All the included studies were published in the last ten years. The vehicle products for green tea were: mouth rinse, chewing gum, toothpaste, drinking tea, strips. The Jadad-scale for RCTs evaluated the included studies with high quality. The health-promoting effects of green tea are due to its polyphenol components (catechins). Moreover, the polyphenol concentration in green tea is higher than in black tea, with a greater antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and antibacterial, antiviral, antimutagenic and antiaging properties.The preventive role of green tea in the development and progression of oral diseases has been shown in chronic periodontitis within effects on periodontopathogens and on host immune reactions. Conclusion: In conclusion, there is a growing number of clinical trials investigating the use of green tea as an adjunct to the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. Further studies are needed to validate its use in comparison with the standard of care.