Antifungal activity of melaleuca oil on oral Candidiasis: literature review

Abstract

Oral candidiasis is a fungal infection and its predominant strain is Candida albicans. This fungus is found in different mucous membranes of the organism and when there is an imbalance in the local microbiota, multiple lesions are manifested that can evolve into severe clinical conditions. It has a high frequency in immunosuppressed patients and under prolonged use of antibiotics and corticosteroids, and its standard treatment is based on the use of azole and polyene compounds. However, due to the possible cytotoxicity of these drugs associated with the resistance of microorganisms, there is a growing search for alternative therapies, which includes the use of herbal medicines. The present study aimed to present the use of tea tree essential oil or Tea Tree Oil (TTO) in the management of fungal infections in the oral cavity. The methodology was based on the initial search for articles in electronic databases: National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Virtual Health Library (BVS) and Google Scholar gray literature, using the crossing of the DeCS/MeSH descriptors “melaleuca oil” AND “oral thrush”. In order to complement the theoretical foundation, institutional sites were used, in addition to the free search through the initially selected references. A total of 20 studies were included and the results demonstrated a satisfactory effect of TTO oil in the prevention and treatment of oral candidiasis in strains of Candida albicans with experimental studies in animal models. TTO proved to be effective in the management of oral candidiasis in animals, however, controlled clinical trials are needed to obtain effective and safe dosages for the patient.

Keywords: Oral candidiasis, Phytotherapy, Melaluca oil.