title: Essential oils, their therapeutic properties, and implication in dentistry: A review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antibacterial treatments currently used for treatment cause several side effects, and bacterial resistance to the antibiotics is also increasing. Therefore, there is need to find better alternatives. Essential oils (EOs) have been used for treatment of various ailments since ancient times and have gained popularity over the years. Safety and efficacy of EOs have been proved by several clinical trials. This review gives an overview on the EOs, their uses, and adverse effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search was performed in the PubMed for clinical trial studies and review articles on EOs published up to February 2015. The search was performed during March 2015. The following keywords were used: "Lavender essential oil," "cinnamon oil," "clove oil," "eucalyptus oil," "peppermint oil," "lemon EOs," and "tea tree oil."
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total 70 relevant articles were found in PubMed database. After screening of abstracts, 52 articles were selected to be included in the present review.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of the available information, it can be concluded that EOs have the potential to be developed as preventive or therapeutic agents for various oral diseases, but further clinical trials are required to establish their safety and efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Ethics Committee, Care Institute of Medical Sciences, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
authors.forename: Namrata
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dagli
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Vyas Dental College and Hospital, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.
authors.forename: Rushabh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dagli
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dental Science, Alfarabi Colleges, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Rasha Said
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dental Science, Alfarabi Colleges, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Kusai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baroudi
keywords: Alternative medicine; essential oils; oral pathogens