ACHIEVING ORAL HEALTH THE NATURAL WAY: PART II- TEA AND CRANBERRY
VINEET NAIR *
Department of Periodontology, North Bengal Dental College and Hospital, Darjeeling, India
SANJUKTA BAGCHI
Department of Public Health Dentistry, North Bengal Dental College and Hospital, Darjeeling, India
NAIRITA SAHA
Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, North Bengal Dental College and Hospital, Darjeeling, India
SOHINI BANERJEE
Department of Periodontology, North Bengal Dental College and Hospital, Darjeeling, India
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Green tea is one of the most ancient and popular beverage consumed around the world especially in India, China and Japan. Green tea contains thousands of bioactive ingredients mainly polyphenols which play a key role in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Of importance is its anti-oxidant property. On the other hand the beneficial effects of cranberry are due to its proanthocyanidins content. Though role of cranberry in urinary tract infection and other systemic diseases is available in literature, reports on its oral benefits are scarce. Several search engines were searched for articles relating to this topic with special reference to PUBMED indexed journals over the last ten years.The aim of this article is to showcase the therapeutic properties of green tea and cranberry on oral health.
Keywords: Catechins, cranberry, green tea, oral health, polyphenols, proanthocyanidins