Effects of cranberry polyphenols on dental health
Several studies report that the polyphenols (a source of antioxidants) in cranberries have properties that may be beneficial for treating and/or preventing dental caries and periodontal disease.
Researchers at Laval University, in Quebec, summarized the scientific evidence supporting the potential of cranberry polyphenols to prevent and/or treat diseases of the mouth.
Here’s what we know.
- In lab studies…
- Polyphenols of cranberries appear to have the potential to prevent and/or treating dental caries and periodontal disease.
- However, these results are difficult to reproduce in people, since the oral environment could interfere with the biological properties of these molecules.
- What about drinking cranberry juice?
- It’s unlikely that drinking cranberry juice can benefit oral health, given the insufficient contact time between the oral tissues (the teeth and gingiva) and the cranberry polyphenols.
- In addition, the sugar added to cranberry drinks and its acidity may have counterproductive effects of contributing to the demineralization of tooth enamel.
The bottom line?
The authors concluded that once the bioactive molecules in cranberry extracts are isolated, they could be added to oral hygiene products for local application to diseased periodontal sites, through irrigation or insertion of a resorbable fiber.
2/24/11 22:34 JR
nilisha.patel said:
on February 25, 2011 at 4:18 PM
This is an interesting article for me because I didn’t know prior to reading it, that cranberries had evidence backing their use in preventing dental plaque. I searched for this topic on Natural Standard’s database and found a lot of interesting information regarding. For example, Natural Standard gives cranberries a grade C for preventing dental plaque.
JR said:
on February 26, 2011 at 8:56 PM
Grade C evidence is a recommendation based on expert opinion that is based on human and experimental studies. It’s not, that strong a recommendation.
Best would be Grade A: recommendation derived from multiple randomized clinical studies.
Next, Grade B is a recommendation derived from small randomized studies and descriptive retrospective and case studies.
JR