Curcumina como terapia adjuvante no tratamento periodontal: síntese de revisões sistemáticas e potencial benefício clínico no paciente idoso

Abstract

Curcumin, a bioactive polyphenol derived from Curcuma longa, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties that support its potential use as an adjunctive therapy in chronic inflammatory diseases, including periodontitis. This study aimed to evaluate, through an overview of systematic reviews, the efficacy of topically applied curcumin as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment. A structured search was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar, including systematic reviews published between 2021 and 2025 that exclusively assessed topical curcumin formulations in humans with periodontal disease. Six systematic reviews met the eligibility criteria, most of which included meta-analyses. Overall, the reviews reported statistically significant reductions in probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level gain, and improvements in plaque, gingival, and bleeding indices. In addition, antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effects associated with curcumin use were described. However, substantial methodological heterogeneity was observed among the included primary studies, with variations in formulations, application protocols, follow-up periods, and a limited number of randomized controlled trials, which restricts the strength of the evidence. In conclusion, topically applied curcumin appears to be a promising adjunctive therapy in non-surgical periodontal treatment and may represent a clinically relevant option, particularly in populations with a higher prevalence of periodontal disease and difficulties in mechanical plaque control. Nevertheless, its clinical use should be interpreted with caution until larger, well-designed, and standardized randomized clinical trials with longer follow-up periods are available.