TITLE:
Zinc and Oral Health: Literature Review
AUTHORS:
Omar Ziyati, Salma Abou-Obeida, Nada Mtalai, Khalid El Boussiri
KEYWORDS:
Zinc, Oral Health, Hydroxyapatite, Gingivitis, Dental Plaque
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.11 No.7,
July
17,
2024
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Zinc was a trace element of great importance in the oral cavity. It was naturally present in various places such as dental plaque, dental hard tissues and saliva. Main Goal: our work was to highlight the importance of zinc in maintaining optimal oral health. Materials and methods: The research was carried out with computerized databases Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and Google scholar and manual search from previously identified references. Relevant articles were identified after reading their titles, abstracts or reading the entire document. Results: 19 articles were retained after eliminating articles that did not meet our objectives or had irrelevant content. Discussion: Zinc was of great importance in dental protection during the demineralization process and was used in the prevention and treatment of various oral pathologies. It had antibacterial effects allowing it to control the formation of plaque. In mouthwashes and toothpastes, zinc salts were part of several compositions leading to different effects, including the neutralization of bad breath, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effects. Conclusion: Zinc has been shown to be effective against common oral health problems such as tooth decay, gingivitis, periodontitis and unpleasant odours. However, further research studies are required to determine the effect of zinc supplementation in the treatment of oral diseases.