Comparative evaluation of the effect of acmella oleracea topical gel and Low level laser therapy on pulpal pain alleviation-An In-Vivo study

Pain is one of the most common symptoms in the dental practice. Many authors have focused on pain and how to alleviate it. Herbal medications have shown tremendous scope in medical and dental practice without the side effects of the commonly prescribed and used pharmaceutical drugs. An essential medicinal plant, Acmella oleracea is found in tropical and subtropical regions, primarily in India and South America. It is commonly referred to as the "toothache plant," as it may both stimulate salivation and lessen the discomfort associated with toothaches. Various extracts and active metabolites from various sections of this plant possess valuable pharmacological activities. Jambu, the traditional name for Acmella, has been used for centuries to treat oral pain because of its analgesic properties.

The antinociceptive effects has been demonstrated and are related to different processes, including inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis, activation of opioidergic, serotoninergic and GABAergic systems, and anesthetic activity through blockage of voltage-gated Na channels. Acmella oleracea represents a promising future in pain management. Since they are easily accessible, have a long history of proven usefulness, and are safe to use in treating oral or dental issues without having the systemic negative effects associated with pharmaceutical preparations, herbal remedies have long been a highly popular choice for self-medication. The current assessment focuses on the use of a herbal drug in the form of gel for the management of dental pain of endodontic origin.

An additional area of interest in this field is the use of Low-Level Laser Therapy to achieve an analgesic effect in the dental pulp prior to restorative procedures. First noted with the Nd:YAG Laser in the early 1990’s, the clinical use of ’pre-emptive Laser analgesia’ is becoming more widespread now as a clinical technique. The action of this type of Low-Level Laser Therapy is to cause a disruption in the action of the Na-K pump in the cell membrane, resulting in a loss of impulse conduction, and thus an analgesic effect is produced. The ability of Low-Level Laser Therapy to exert analgesic effects has historically been a major clinical application of the technique. In vivo studies of the analgesic effect of Low-Level Laser Therapy on nerves supplying the oral cavity have demonstrated that Low-Level Laser Therapy decreases the firing frequency of nociceptors.

Hence, the purpose of this study is to compare and evaluate the use of an herbal gel containing Acmella oleracea and Low-Level Laser Therapy for the management of dental pain of endodontic origin.