CURRENT OVERVIEW OF CLINICAL RESEARCH WITH HERBAL TOOTHPASTES IN BRAZIL: A SCOPING REVIEW

Resumo

Toothpastes are multipurpose cosmetic products that play an important role in daily oral hygiene, and natural formulations have attracted scientific and industrial interest worldwide. Despite Brazil’s favorable biodiversity, knowledge gaps remain regarding the state of the art of plant-derived products in this field. This study aimed to map current clinical research on herbal toothpastes in Brazil. A scoping review was conducted by searching the ReBEC platform for the period from 2011 to 2025, using the descriptor dentifrício (‘toothpaste’) and including trials conducted in humans. The extracted data were synthesized narratively. The final sample consisted of ten studies on herbal toothpastes, corresponding to 22.7% of clinical studies on toothpastes. A greater temporal concentration was observed from 2020 onward. The population profile consisted mainly of adults with good general and oral health, with marked sample heterogeneity, ranging from dozens to hundreds of volunteers, and follow-up periods ranging from one week to one year. The toothpastes were predominantly uniherbal formulations, with green tea and peppermint derivatives being the most prominent. Plant-based compounds were used as therapeutic or flavoring agents. Only 40% of the herbal toothpastes contained fluoride, which may limit their anticaries effect and suggests that these formulations should be used with caution. Despite the limitations of this exploratory study, the findings indicate a low number of phase I clinical trials on herbal toothpastes in Brazil, highlighting the need for further validation of their safety and efficacy, as well as for biotechnological innovation in new national products.

Keywords: Toothpastes. Dentifrices. Biological products. Phytotherapy.