Skip to content
2000
image of Role of Carvacrol in Oral Health: An Overview

Abstract

Oral diseases represent significant health challenges, with periodontal diseases and dental caries ranking as key preventable infectious diseases worldwide. Oral health affects overall quality of life, and inadequate oral hygiene is associated with chronic diseases. Carvacrol is a monoterpenoid phenol found in essential oils of pepperwort (), thyme (), oregano (), wild bergamot (), and other plants. Carvacrol exhibits numerous biological activities, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer effects. Carvacrol demonstrated the ability to inhibit the oral pathogens examined and exhibited properties that prevent biofilm formation on their oral biofilm; thus, it may be used to manage and prevent the colonization of microorganisms, which is particularly important in human oral diseases. Besides, carvacrol protects gingival tissue in periodontal disease. Knowledge of carvacrol's many actions will help develop novel treatment plans, and designing clinical studies will optimize its potential advantages for treating oral diseases.

© 2025 Bentham Science Publishers
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/cpd/10.2174/0113816128386169250616124712
2025-07-02
2025-09-10

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/cpd/10.2174/0113816128386169250616124712
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Kumar M. Prakash S. Radha Kumari N. Pundir A. Punia S. Saurabh V. Choudhary P. Changan S. Dhumal S. Pradhan P.C. Alajil O. Singh S. Sharma N. Ilakiya T. Singh S. Mekhemar M. Beneficial role of antioxidant secondary metabolites from medicinal plants in maintaining oral health. Antioxidants 2021 10 7 1061 34209152
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Alsuraim B.S. Han D-H. Effect of globalization on global dental caries trend. Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 99 35 e21767 32871897
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Furquim Dos Santos Cardoso V. Amaral Roppa R.H. Antunes C. Silva Moraes A.N. Santi L. Konrath E.L. Efficacy of medicinal plant extracts as dental and periodontal antibiofilm agents: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2021 281 114541 34416298
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Pasupuleti M.K. Nagate R.R. Alqahtani S.M. Penmetsa G.S. Gottumukkala S.N.V.S. Ramesh K.S.V. Role of medicinal herbs in periodontal therapy: A systematic review. J. Int. Soc. Prev. Community Dent. 2023 13 1 9 16 37153928
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Forouzanfar A. Mohammadipour H.S. Forouzanfar F. The potential role of tea in periodontal therapy: an updated review. Curr. Drug Discov. Technol. 2021 18 1 1 7 31985382
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Forouzanfar F. Forouzanfar A. Sathyapalan T. Orafai H.M. Sahebkar A. Curcumin for the management of periodontal diseases: A review. Curr. Pharm. Des. 2020 26 34 4277 4284 32400326
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Imran M. Aslam M. Alsagaby S.A. Saeed F. Ahmad I. Afzaal M. Arshad M.U. Abdelgawad M.A. El-Ghorab A.H. Khames A. Shariati M.A. Ahmad A. Hussain M. Imran A. Islam S. Therapeutic application of carvacrol: A comprehensive review. Food Sci. Nutr. 2022 10 11 3544 3561 10.1002/fsn3.2994 36348778
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Dias C.J. Costa H.A. Alves Dias-Filho C.A. Ferreira A.C. Rodrigues B. Irigoyen M.C. Romão Borges A.C. de Andadre Martins V. Branco Vidal F.C. Ribeiro R.M. Filho N.S. Mostarda C.T. Carvacrol reduces blood pressure, arterial responsiveness and increases expression of MAS receptors in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 2022 917 174717 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.174717 34953800
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Aristatile B. Al-Numair K.S. Veeramani C. Pugalendi K.V. Effect of carvacrol on hepatic marker enzymes and antioxidant status in d -galactosamine-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Fundam. Clin. Pharmacol. 2009 23 6 757 765 10.1111/j.1472‑8206.2009.00721.x 19650854
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Neopane D. Kushwaha P. Carvacrol in asthma management: A comprehensive review of its therapeutic potential and mechanisms of action. Pharmacol. Rep. 2025 1 14 10.1007/s43440‑025‑00709‑6 40067636
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Ghahreman E. Eidi A. Mortazavi P. Asghari A. Asle-Rousta M. Carvacrol attenuates varicocele-induced infertility in rats. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 2025 991 177303 10.1016/j.ejphar.2025.177303 39870232
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Shah S. Pushpa Tryphena K. Singh G. Kulkarni A. Pinjala P. Kumar Khatri D. Neuroprotective role of Carvacrol via Nrf2/HO-1/NLRP3 axis in Rotenone-induced PD mice model. Brain Res. 2024 1836 148954 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148954 38649135
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Ezz-Eldin Y.M. Aboseif A.A. Khalaf M.M. Potential anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of carvacrol against ovalbumin-induced asthma in rats. Life Sci. 2020 242 117222 10.1016/j.lfs.2019.117222 31881223
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Oliveira I.S. da Silva F.V. Viana A.F.S.C. dos Santos M.R.V. Quintans-Júnior L.J. Martins M.C.C. Nunes P.H.M. Oliveira F.A. Oliveira R.C.M. Gastroprotective activity of carvacrol on experimentally induced gastric lesions in rodents. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch. Pharmacol. 2012 385 9 899 908 10.1007/s00210‑012‑0771‑x 22739789
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Aslam H. Albaqami F. Rehman N.U. Shah F.A. Carvacrol attenuated myocardial infarction through NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis and mTOR/Nrf2/PPARγ-dependent autophagic signaling. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 2025 498 117281 10.1016/j.taap.2025.117281 40064378
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Forqani MA Akbarian M Amirahmadi S Khorrami MB Hosseini M Forouzanfar F Protective effect of carvacrol against oxidative damage in aged rats. Cent Nerv Syst Agents Med Chem 2024 Epub ahead of print. 10.2174/0118715249303906240729074821
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Lee B. Yeom M. Shim I. Lee H. Hahm D. Inhibitory effect of carvacrol on lipopolysaccharide-induced memory impairment in rats. Korean J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 2020 24 1 27 37 10.4196/kjpp.2020.24.1.27 31908572
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Bansal A. Saleh-E-In M.M. Kar P. Roy A. Sharma N.R. Synthesis of carvacrol derivatives as potential new anticancer agent against lung cancer. Molecules 2022 27 14 4597 10.3390/molecules27144597 35889476
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Forqani M.A. Akbarian M. Amirahmadi S. Soukhtanloo M. Hosseini M. Forouzanfar F. Carvacrol improved learning and memory and attenuated the brain tissue oxidative damage in aged male rats. Int. J. Neurosci. 2023 1 8 37694395
    [Google Scholar]
  20. de Carvalho F.O. Silva É.R. Gomes I.A. Santana H.S.R. do Nascimento Santos D. de Oliveira Souza G.P. de Jesus Silva D. Monteiro J.C.M. de Albuquerque Júnior R.L.C. de Souza Araújo A.A. Nunes P.S. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of carvacrol in the respiratory system: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Phytother. Res. 2020 34 9 2214 2229 10.1002/ptr.6688 32249518
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Sánchez C. Aznar R. Sánchez G. The effect of carvacrol on enteric viruses. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 2015 192 72 76 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2014.09.028 25310265
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Silva F.V. Guimarães A.G. Silva E.R.S. Sousa-Neto B.P. Machado F.D.F. Quintans-Júnior L.J. Arcanjo D.D.R. Oliveira F.A. Oliveira R.C.M. Anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer activities of carvacrol, a monoterpene present in the essential oil of oregano. J. Med. Food 2012 15 11 984 991 10.1089/jmf.2012.0102 22892022
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Lima I.O. Pereira F.O. Oliveira W.A. Lima E.O. Menezes E.A. Cunha F.A. Diniz M.F.F.M. Antifungal activity and mode of action of carvacrol against Candida albicans strains. J. Essent. Oil Res. 2013 25 2 138 142 10.1080/10412905.2012.754728
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Marinelli L. Di Stefano A. Cacciatore I. Carvacrol and its derivatives as antibacterial agents. Phytochem. Rev. 2018 17 4 903 921 10.1007/s11101‑018‑9569‑x
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Hoca M. Becer E. Vatansever H.S. Carvacrol is potential molecule for diabetes treatment. Arch. Physiol. Biochem. 2023 1 8 38019023
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Balef S.S.H. Hosseini S.S. Asgari N. Sohrabi A. Mortazavi N. The inhibitory effects of carvacrol, nystatin, and their combination on oral candidiasis isolates. BMC Res. Notes 2024 17 1 104 10.1186/s13104‑024‑06767‑y 38605312
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Ciandrini E. Campana R. Federici S. Manti A. Battistelli M. Falcieri E. Papa S. Baffone W. In vitro activity of Carvacrol against titanium-adherent oral biofilms and planktonic cultures. Clin. Oral Investig. 2014 18 8 2001 2013 10.1007/s00784‑013‑1179‑9 24458367
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Fernández-Babiano I. Navarro-Pérez M.L. Pérez-Giraldo C. Fernández-Calderón M.C. Antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of carvacrol against oral pathogenic bacteria. Metabolites 2022 12 12 1255 10.3390/metabo12121255 36557293
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Khan S.T. Khan M. Ahmad J. Wahab R. Abd-Elkader O.H. Musarrat J. Alkhathlan H.Z. Al-Kedhairy A.A. Thymol and carvacrol induce autolysis, stress, growth inhibition and reduce the biofilm formation by Streptococcus mutans. AMB Express 2017 7 1 49 28233286
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Maquera Huacho P.M. Rodriguez Herrero E. Verspecht T. Pauwels M. Marcantonio E. Jr Palomari Spolidorio D.M. Teughels W. Terpinen-4-ol and carvacrol affect multi-species biofilm composition. Biofouling 2019 35 5 561 572 31282200
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Maquera-Huacho P.M. Tonon C.C. Correia M.F. Francisconi R.S. Bordini E.A.F. Marcantonio É. Spolidorio D.M.P. In vitro antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of carvacrol and terpinen-4-ol against biofilm formation on titanium implant surfaces. Biofouling 2018 34 6 699 709 10.1080/08927014.2018.1485892 30187780
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Masocatto DC Matsumoto MA Coelho TMK Jardim ECG de Mendonça JCG da Silva JCL Comparison of antimicrobial activity of thymol and carvacrol to chlorhexidine in surgery. Archives 2021 10 7 10.33448/rsd‑v10i7.16310
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Nemoda M Nikolić B Vukotić T Rakašević D Marković D Jovičić M Antibacterial and antibiofilm potential of carvacrol against oral Streptococcus spp. isolates. Lekovite sirovine 2023 43 1 10.61652/leksir2343e177N
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Safa Larijani K. Moghhaddam Nia A.A. Bozorgi Makrani A. AbouHosseini Tabari M. Khodadadi E. Antimicrobial activity of carvacrol against Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei, An in-vitro study. J. Research. Appl. Basic Medical Sciences. 2021 7 4 172 178
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Sahin Z. Ozer N.E. Calı A. Biofilm inhibition of denture cleaning tablets and carvacrol on denture bases produced with different techniques. Clin. Oral Investig. 2024 28 7 413 10.1007/s00784‑024‑05810‑3 38965139
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Walczak M. Michalska-Sionkowska M. Olkiewicz D. Tarnawska P. Warżyńska O. Potential of carvacrol and thymol in reducing biofilm formation on technical surfaces. Molecules 2021 26 9 2723 34066411
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Botelho M.A. Martins J.G. Ruela R.S. i R. Santos J.A. Soares J.B. França M.C. Montenegro D. Ruela W.S. Barros L.P. Queiroz D.B. Araujo R.S. Sampio F.C. Protective effect of locally applied carvacrol gel on ligature-induced periodontitis in rats: A tapping mode AFM study. Phytother. Res. 2009 23 10 1439 1448 19274705
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Botelho M.A. Rao V.S. Montenegro D. Bandeira M.A.M. Fonseca S.G.C. Nogueira N.A.P. Ribeiro R.A. Brito G.A. Effects of a herbal gel containing carvacrol and chalcones on alveolar bone resorption in rats on experimental periodontitis. Phytother. Res. 2008 22 4 442 449 18338370
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Kuo P.J. Hung T.F. Lin C.Y. Hsiao H.Y. Fu M.W. Hong P.D. Chiu H.C. Fu E. Carvacrol ameliorates ligation-induced periodontitis in rats. J. Periodontol. 2017 88 7 e120 e128 10.1902/jop.2017.160618 28387609
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Lauritano D. Pazzi D. Iapichino A. Gaudio R.M. Di Muzio M. Lo Russo L. Pezzetti F. Evaluation of the efficacy of a new oral gel containing carvacrol and thymol for home oral care in the management of chronic periodontitis using PCR analysis: A microbiological pilot study. J. Biol. Regul. Homeost. Agents 2016 30 2 Suppl. 1 129 134 27469559
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Potra Cicalău G.I. Ciavoi G. Scrobotă I. Marcu A.O. Romanul I. Marian E. Vicaș L.G. Ganea M. Assessing the antioxidant benefits of topical carvacrol and magnolol periodontal hydrogel therapy in periodontitis associated with diabetes in wistar rats. Dent. J. 2023 11 12 284 38132422
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Potra Cicalău G.I. Marcu O.A. Ghitea T.C. Ciavoi G. Iurcov R.C. Beiusanu C. Trifan D.F. Vicaș L.G. Ganea M. Study of Periodontal bacteria in diabetic wistar rats: Assessing the anti-inflammatory effects of carvacrol and magnolol hydrogels. Biomedicines 2024 12 7 1445 10.3390/biomedicines12071445 39062018
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Dai W. Sun C. Huang S. Zhou Q. Carvacrol suppresses proliferation and invasion in human oral squamous cell carcinoma. OncoTargets Ther. 2016 9 2297 2304 10.2147/OTT.S98875 27143925
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Yu C.C. Hsieh P.L. Chao S.C. Liao Y.W. Yu C.H. Chueh P.J. Peng C.Y. Lee S.S. Carvacrol inhibits the progression of oral submucous fibrosis via downregulation of PVT1/miR-20a-5p-mediated pyroptosis. J. Cell. Mol. Med. 2024 28 18 e70112 10.1111/jcmm.70112 39320020
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Palombo E.A. Traditional medicinal plant extracts and natural products with activity against oral bacteria: Potential application in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med. 2011 2011 1 680354 10.1093/ecam/nep067 19596745
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Mohammadipour H.S. Forouzanfar F. Forouzanfar A. The role of type 2 fibroblast growth factor in periodontal therapy. Curr. Drug Targets 2021 22 3 310 317 10.2174/1389450121999201105152639 33153420
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Jangid A. Sharma S. Overview of herbal nanoparticles: A patent review. Curr. Nanomed. 2025 15 10.2174/0124681873332177250117100927
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Souza R.L. Dantas A.G.B. Melo C.O. Felício I.M. Oliveira E.E. Nanotechnology as a tool to improve the biological activity of carvacrol: A review. J. Drug Deliv. Sci. Technol. 2022 76 103834 10.1016/j.jddst.2022.103834
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Ghorani V. Alavinezhad A. Rajabi O. Mohammadpour A.H. Boskabady M.H. Safety and tolerability of carvacrol in healthy subjects: A phase I clinical study. Drug Chem. Toxicol. 2021 44 2 177 189 10.1080/01480545.2018.1538233 30486682
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Suntres Z.E. Coccimiglio J. Alipour M. The bioactivity and toxicological actions of carvacrol. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2015 55 3 304 318 10.1080/10408398.2011.653458 24915411
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Tzimas K. Antoniadou M. Varzakas T. Voidarou C.C. Plant-derived compounds: A promising tool for dental caries prevention. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024 46 6 5257 5290 10.3390/cimb46060315 38920987
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/cpd/10.2174/0113816128386169250616124712
Loading
Role of Carvacrol in Oral Health: An Overview
Bentham Science Publishers ; https://doi.org/10.2174/0113816128386169250616124712
/content/journals/cpd/10.2174/0113816128386169250616124712
/content/journals/cpd/10.2174/0113816128386169250616124712
Loading

Data & Media loading...


  • Article Type:     Review Article
Keywords: Carvacrol ; periodontitis ; oral biofilm ; antimicrobial ; medicinal plants ; oral health

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test