THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF NATURAL HERBS IN DENTISTRY: A NARRATIVE REVIEW Objectives: Natural herbs have increased attention due to their therapeutic and general health-improving qualities as reported in the literature. This review paper aims to explore the therapeutic effects of natural herbs in dentistry and to describe the various herbal sources, active compounds and its dental applications. Methodology: A literature search was conducted using WoS, Pubmed, and Scopus with the search terms ‘herbal’ AND ‘dentistry’ AND ‘alternative treatment’. Articles related to natural herbs and dental applications from the past 15 years until September 2023 were gathered. The inclusion criteria for this study were in-vitro experiments and clinical studies. Result: 512 articles were extracted from the search with 128 falling under the inclusion criteria (86 in-vitro experiments and 42 clinical studies). It was observed that 15 therapeutic properties were extensively examined, with antimicrobial studies being the most prevalent (50.0%), while the least explored properties were pulp-capping and obturation material (0.8%). Diseases such as denture stomatitis, oral candidiasis, and gingivitis were highly reported to have benefited from natural herbal medicine as an alternative treatment option. Herbals such as propolis, green tea, ginger, Zataria multiflora, chitosan, garlic, Artemisia, Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, Uncaria tomentosa, Punica granatum, and Ricinus communis were found to be useful in the treatment of denture stomatitis. Rhizoma imperatae extract has been added to oral care products and has shown an excellent effect on reducing gingivitis. Pistacia atlantica extract mouthwash was reported to be effective against dental plaque bacteria and subgingival microorganisms. Conclusion: Numerous natural herbs have been extensively documented to have therapeutic effects in certain dental diseases as supported by laboratory and clinical studies. However, comprehensive guides such as the clinical indications, therapeutic doses and application methods were with minimal evidence that can be derived from the literature. More extensive clinical trials are to be conducted on the therapeutic efficacy of natural herbs in dentistry.

EFFECT OF A LOCALLY MANUFACTURED TOOTHBRUSHING SIMULATOR ON THE MONOMER ELUTION OF CAD/CAM RESIN COMPOSITE BLOCK - A PILOT STUDY Objective: This pilot study aimed to calibrate the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) protocol for detection and quantification of monomer that may be eluted from a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) resin composite block (RCB) when subjected to an abrasion test with a toothbrushing simulator. Materials and methods: CAD/CAM RCB (Shofu Block HC) were sectioned and randomly allocated into two groups made up of Control group (CT) group (n = 4), and Toothbrush Abrasion (TA) group (n = 4). CT group was subjected to no surface treatment and TA group was subjected to a toothbrushing wear test following immersion of both groups in artificial saliva for 7 days. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to separate and identify urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) that were eluted from the slurry produced following the toothbrushing abrasion test of the TA group and from storage solution of artificial saliva of the CT group. Results: After the toothbrush wear test, 6.192 to 16.937 ng/µL of UDMA eluted from the TA group and no UDMA was detected in the CT group. TEGDMA was not detected from both the CT and TA groups. Conclusion and clinical significance: The HPLC protocol has been calibrated and toothbrushing wear resulted in detectable UDMA released from Shofu HC Block at a level that is not harmful to the patient.