Honey: A Sweet Solution to Oral Healthcare Problems

Abstract

Oral problems are becoming a worldwide issue causing serious economic and health burdens that in turn reduces quality of life. Alongside, the personal consequences of these implications impose a great burden on both healthcare and families. Due to the ample nutrition and therapeutic abilities of honey, it has a great potential to be used as a sweet solution in the prevention and curing of oral diseases. Moreover, it exerts biological properties, namely, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancerous and antiseptic. Therefore, honey’s potent multidisciplinary characteristics in oral health are being explored by scientists and researchers. In addition, till now there is no such synthetic compound reported to show all these properties. The overview of this chapter begins with a brief description of the oral microbiome and its potent effects. Furthermore, there is mention of honey’s application in the mitigation and amelioration of several oral issues including gingivitis, malodour, oral cancer, mouth ulcers, herpes labialis, cold sores, oral wounds, radiation-induced oral mucositis and xerostomia. However, despite the extensive utilization of honey, there is still need for more conclusive clinical trials to know about the effectiveness and efficacy of honey in oral healthcare. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.