Therapeutic Impact of Ascorbic Acid on Oral and Periodontal Tissues: A Systematic Literature Review.

Background and

Objectives

Ascorbic acid (AA), a non-metabolized substance in the human body, is acquired from plant-based foods or supplements and is renowned for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, widely utilized in medicine, particularly in aesthetic practices. In dentistry, exploring adjunctive therapies like AA has gained traction to complement conventional treatments. This systematic literature review aims to assess the effects of ascorbic acid on oral and periodontal health. Materials and

Methods

Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was conducted across three electronic databases-PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect. The review focused on randomized controlled trials and uncontrolled clinical trials published in English between 2018 and 2023, examining ascorbic acid's impact on oral and periodontal tissues. The search, ending 27 September 2023, identified studies meeting inclusion criteria, assessed using The Cochrane and ROBINS-I bias tools.

Results

Seventeen publications, involving 811 patients, met the selection criteria. In the study groups, seven out of nine studies showed better outcomes in indicators such as bleeding on probing, plaque index, gingival index, clinical attachment level, periodontal pocket depth, and/or gingival recession depth (p < 0.05), compared to the control group. Three studies noted reduced VAS scores posttreatment with AA (p < 0.05), while two demonstrated accelerated alveolar healing after tooth extraction. Four publications highlighted ascorbic acid's efficacy in addressing aesthetic concerns.

Conclusions

Ascorbic acid emerges as a potentially effective adjunctive therapy for managing oral and periodontal diseases and improving gum aesthetics.