Systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of olive oil in the treatment of periodontal diseases.

Abstract

<h4>Background/objectives</h4>Periodontal diseases, which are highly inflammatory in nature, are very common throughout the world. In recent years, natural products have gained special attention as a complement to conventional therapy, and olive oil/ozonated olive oil (OLO/OzOLO), due to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, has been proposed for these treatments. The aim of our study was to demonstrate its short-term clinical efficacy in periodontal treatment.<h4>Methods</h4>This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with Cochrane guidelines, and searches were performed in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, Scopus, and Web of Science (WOS) to identify eligible studies. Review Manager 5.4.1 and SPSS Statistics 30.0® were used to calculate standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The main outcomes assessed for periodontitis were probing depth (PPD), bleeding on probing (BoP), and clinical attachment level (CAL), and for gingivitis, plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI) and bleeding index (BI).<h4>Results</h4>Twelve randomized clinical trials (RCTs) involving 456 subjects were included. In periodontitis, compared with controls, OLO/OzOLO improved BoP reduction in the medium term (8-12 weeks) [-0.66; 95% CI (-1.07 to -0.26); <i>p</i> = 0.001], and no benefits were observed in terms of PPD reduction and CAL gain. In gingivitis, the effect of OLO/OzOLO, compared to controls, produced a significant reduction in all three indices (PI, GI, BI) after 2-8 weeks [-1.52, 95% CI (-2.60 to -0.44); <i>p</i> = 0.006].<h4>Conclusions</h4>Despite limitations, OLO/OzOLO treatments result in short-term CAL gain and improved gingival parameters.<h4>Systematic review registration</h4>doi: 10.37766/inplasy2025.10.0065, Identifier INPLASY 2025100065.