Effect of Green Tea on the Level of Salivary Interleukin-1 Beta in Patients with Chronic Periodontitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Aim: Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1) is one of the major biomarkers involved in the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in salivary IL-1 concentration in patients with chronic periodontitis following daily consumption of green tea.

Methods And Materials: Thirty patients with an average age of 45.8 years suffering from chronic periodontitis were randomly assigned into 2 groups (i.e., experimental and control groups). Besides receiving phase 1 periodontal treatment (scaling and root planning (SRP)), the experimental group drank green tea for a period of 6 weeks. To measure the concentration of salivary IL-1, saliva samples were taken from both groups at 2 time points, i.e., prior to SRP (time point 1 (T0)) and after 6 weeks (time point 2 (T1)). The nonparametric Wilcoxon test was used to examine and compare the changes in the concentration of salivary IL-1 in each group relevant to the 2 time points (T0 and T1). Data were submitted to statistical analysis.

Results: At the end of the study period, a significant reduction (=0.0001) in the concentration of salivary IL-1 was observed in the experimental group (). As for the control group (), however, there was no significant change (=0.307) in the concentration of salivary IL-1 after 6 weeks following phase 1 periodontal treatment.

Conclusion: Green tea supplementation, in addition to SRP, may reduce salivary IL-1 levels in patients with chronic periodontitis for a period of 6 weeks.