Abstract

Toothaches are the most common cause of orofacial pains which 32 of the population suffers from. Toothache has negative effects on society in a way that the absence at work or education decreases peoples´ efficiency. In general, inflammatory processes play a fundamental role in toothache mechanisms; therefore, controlling or eliminating inflammation is always one of the main goals in dealing with painful teeth. In Iranian traditional medicine (ITM) reference books, oral health, especially toothache and its relief has been widely discussed. A large number of medicinal plants have been introduced and used individually or in combination to relieve toothache. Considering the high prevalence of toothache and its negative personal and social effects, as well as the high potential of medicinal plants used in ITM to reduce toothache, this review study aimed to introduce medicinal plants used to relieve toothache in ITM and explain their analgesic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms from the modern medicine point of view. ITM references were investigated for analgesic plants used in toothache conditions by the traditional terminologies for the word "pain" and its combinations. The plants were then searched in modern literature for any previous molecular or biological analgesic research. From 58 medicinal plants found in ITM references with anti-toothache properties, 23 had been previously investigated for analgesic mechanisms, and two specifically for toothache. The analgesic effects of the aforementioned medicinal plants are related to their anti-inflammatory properties, although further research is needed specifically for anti-toothache mechanisms. © 2014, Iranian Society of Pharmacognosy. All rights reserved.